“Once a person reaches the Age of Consent, they should have the freedom to do what they want to do to themselves.”
Would you teach this to your son or daughter, both the good and bad things in life? Would it make you happy if they chose the “bad”? Why or why not?
“Would you teach this to your son or daughter, both the good and bad things in life? Would it make you happy if they chose the “bad”? Why or why not?”
I *do* teach this philosophy to my daughter.
I don’t think anyone wants ill for their child - to end up battling hard addictions like heroin, or being gay, etc.
But that is largely the role of responsible parenting, and teaching kids about consequences and actions.
To answer your question, of course it would make me unhappy if my daughter made poor life choices. But I think that would be more of my failure as a parent instead of relying on the government saying what’s ok and what’s not.
It’s the parents role to teach children how to be responsible in their lives. Whether we are discussing drugs, same-sex relationships, or what have you.
To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, I’d rather deal with the problems of having too much liberty than the problems of not having enough.
A lesson as old as the garden of Eden.
When you deny your brother his ability to choose, you become a jailer and a THIEF.