I recently was part of a spirited discussion over the right to have children. The two sides of the argument basically fell along these lines:
Side A: Everyone has a right to have children if that is what makes them happy/will fulfill them. If they are not able to support these children financially, society is obligated to help them do so. The argument that children are solely the responsibility of the parent is classist and punishes people who are down on their luck through no fault of their own.
Side B: Everyone has a right to children if they can support them adequately on their own. Society is not obligated to fund other peoples' choices, but rather, individuals are obligated not to overburden society by deliberately choosing to have children whose basic needs they cannot meet.
What I would like to take out of the discussion is whether or not welfare in general is a good thing. I think we can all agree that there has to be a social safety net of some kind. Rather, I'd like to talk about the moral obligations of the individual to society and vice versa, and whether or not having a family is a fundamental right.
Any thoughts?