[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by CCIP

But then you could also be pragmatic about it - say your choice is giving the poor sod a few hundred dollars' worth of tax-subsidized pills, or thousands upon thousands of dollars in subsidies for supporting the kids. Or you don't support the kids, in which case there is a high chance that said kids will, without supervision, turn to gangs. That creates some serious problems for the average taxpayer. And then assuming the police do their job, said kids end up in jail, where they only cost more taxpayer money. And if you prefer shooting them on sight as an alternative, then you risk seriously eroding civil rights that your very society is founded on. I know this is a bit of a slippery slope, but either way the fact is that there is a direct link to far more serious social problems here, social problems that in one way or another will always cost you (or your fellow law-abiding, tax-paying citizen) something.

The problem is that "some sod's indiscretions" are, unfortunately, never just that sod's problem. That doesn't make him right to behave the way he does, but by virtue of living in a human society, you always end up paying in one way or another. And if you don't, somebody else pays in your stead. Sad maybe, but a fact.

So, you know, maybe those "free" pills aren't such a bad solution from a cost-effectiveness standpoint...

Great points. Saves me from having to type them out.

You can try an idealist and bang the "personal responsibility" drum and watch the crime rate soar, or you can be a realist and invest a pittance into making birth control easily accessible to all. Easy choice to me.