Task Force: Licensing Parents

Congratulations!

You have been given the opportunity to design a license for parents that want to adopt children. Your goal is to create a well-detailed license that includes all the important characteristics someone should have before they are allowed to bring a child into their home. 

Why Are We Doing This?:

There are various rights children are guaranteed and there is a long history of how those rights came to be. People have often argued whether or not licensing parents might be necessary for children/babies who are put up for adoption to ensure they have responsible and caring guardians. Thus, we challenge you to design a license that can best ensure that a child has an appropriate guardian.  

Steps:

1. With your group, try to write out a list of requirements and characteristics a guardian must have in order to have children. 
   1. Is a certain level of education going to be necessary in order to have a child?
   2. How does  your group plan to deal with felonies? If someone has been arrested, will they be given permission to  have a child? What kinds of crimes are okay and which are not?
   3. How many people do there need to be to have a child? Does your license require the presence of two or more guardians?
   4. What is the age limit for having a child?
2. Think through the possible objections about your guidelines that someone could have and how you would answer them. 
3. Share with the group and see if you can convince them that your license best fits the needs and wants of a potential child.

Things to Keep in Mind:

• You do not have to worry about creating an exhaustive list of requirements.
  • Focus on 4-5 important ones that you are prepared to defend.
• Try to be as specific as possible in defining your requirements to avoid confusion.