Abstract
M.A. (Philosophy)
Imagine a hypothetical couple, Jane and John Smith. The Smiths have been together for
a couple of years, and they both have good jobs with a solid income. They are both
physically healthy and happy, and have a good relationship built on mutual trust. The
Smiths feel ready to take, what so many call, 'the next step' - they want a child.
This sounds like a commonplace scenario in any middle-class society around the world.
But let me add to their considerations the one about the existence of orphans - almost
145 million of them worldwide (UNICEF 2009).
A dilemma now occurs for the Smiths: Should they have their own, biological child, or
should they adopt an orphan? Like most people, they would like to have their own child,
but realise that there are so many children already in existence who need a home. They
consider that, instead of having a biological child for no other real reason than their own
desires, they can really change one (or more) child's life by adopting her.
There simultaneously exists an inherent dilemma for any state: Should the state interfere
in people like the Smiths' option to reproduce naturally in order to increase the adoption of
orphans? There are millions of orphans who will never be adopted, and yet every year
millions of babies are born. The existence of orphans is therefore a socio-economic
problem for any country, especially third world countries that cannot provide the orphan
with adequate care and education.
In this thesis, I examine how the existence of orphans in the world should influence
anybody's decision to reproduce and what the state's role should be therein. The millions of orphans in the world raise serious moral questions for those people planning to have a
biological child. Difficult questions arise like, if there are so many children already in the
world who are in dire need of parents, is it ethical to bring another human being into the
world? What duties, if any, do prospective parents have towards orphans? Do orphans
deserve moral consideration above people's yet unborn 'flesh and blood'? Additionally,
questions arise about the role of the state: Can it be just for a state to interfere in people's
decision to reproduce? Will it be permissible to punish people if they do not adopt? Is the
existence of orphans ultimately the responsibility of the state or also of the citizens within
the state?