First they'll force sterilization of entire dog breeds, then they'll move onto humans
Such a proposition might seem far-fetched. Might. However, in today's world-gone-mad, the far-fetched often becomes reality. A single incident, whether it be a dog mauling or an armed robbery, can ultimately lead to the eradication of basic rights. Take the case of Charleston, South Carolina. A City Council member, reacting to a video store holdup believed to have been carried out by children, says parents who can't properly care for their kids should be sterilized. Larry Shirley, the reactionary City Council member, proposed a law to deal with unruly children who commit crimes. "We pick up stray animals and spay them. These mothers need to be spayed if they can't take care of theirs. Once they have a child and it's running the street, to let them continue to have children is totally unacceptable."
It has been almost a decade since I received my graduate degree in medical science, but I seem to recall reading it takes two people to conceive a child -- a woman and a man. Certainly, any effective sterilization procedure should include both genders, just as with stray animals. In fact, sterilization procedures are a lot simpler, safer, and less invasive for men than they are for women.
The residents of South Carolina (and the rest of the world) are wise to stay tuned to this situation. Sure, forcing the mandatory sterilization of human beings would violate fundamental human rights, but in a world where the government can hold people in prison for years without ever charging them for a crime or allowing them to see an attorney; can force the extermination of entire breeds of dogs -- destroying thousands of innocent animals -- all for the actions of a few irresponsible dog owners; can peak into private homes and find out what websites citizens have searched; can pepper spray toddlers because their parents are part of a peaceful demonstration....
Is mandatory sterilization as proposed by Larry Shirley, a duly elected politician, really so far-fetched?