Abstract: Negative procreative liberties are the liberties
that enable one to choose not to reproduce. I argue that a liberal theory
of justice requires that a well ordered society should have a basic structure
that accommodates negative procreative liberties. First, the liberties are
essential for promoting one's highest-order interests. These liberties allow
citizens to autonomously decide what type of person they are and will become.
Second, negative procreative liberties are necessary for meeting a formal
requirement of equality of opportunity. For these reasons, a society should
recognize negative procreative liberties within the constitutional phase
of developing an institution.
I then examine the mechanisms that allow one to exercise their negative
procreative liberties and offer suggestions about the legislative stage
of developing a family planning institution that will support negative procreative
liberties. An evaluation determines that these institutions are feasible.
The lack of such institutions in many countries is not a result of a scarcity
of resources, but an insufficient commitment to the principles of justice.
Coincidentally, several wealthy countries, such as the United States, have
implemented negative procreative liberties structures where one's opportunity
to act on these liberties is based on morally arbitrary features. This unfair
basic structure consistently bases its accessibility on gender, economic
status, and race.
Bibliography: David F. Wolf II is a philosopher who has counseled the
New York State Senate Majority Leader on Norplant subsidy programs for
minors and researches reproductive rights issues at the State University
of New York at Albany (USA).
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