**Tl;dr Most, if not all prospective parents who want to adopt need to undergo psychological evaluations. The same rules should apply for parents who are planning to have biological children. These evaluations will test if they are equipped to raise a child. They will not focus on any other factors except their mental health. It will help not only the child’s life but also the parents’ life.** Everyone who wants a family deserves a family. No matter who they are, what they do, who they love, and where they are from. Everyone also deserves a supportive and safe family environment. Parents are a child’s whole life. [They set the definition of normal](https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/features/parenting-matters.html), and the child will grow up to compare all other situations and circumstances to their home life and parents. Parents hold power to shape the future. Parents have the capacity to raise either a brilliant new generation that is caring, kind, and are good people who work towards harmony and acceptance, or entitled, [traumatized, abused, and unkind people.](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/brutality-lies-and-the-tragedy-of-la-petite-typhaine-1838774.html) There have been too many parents who have [hurt](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/evil-monster-mums-who-killed-20874464) [abused,](https://www.oklahoman.com/article/1727132/a-broken-life-the-brief-and-tragic-story-of-kelsey-smith-briggs) and driven their children to suicide or murder. The famous case of [Jennifer Pan](https://torontolife.com/city/jennifer-pan-revenge/?utm_source=thenextmeme) who killed her parents because of their severely oppressive and borderline abusive nature, is one such example. Many such examples of parents neglect their children, abusing them sexually, and even killing them. Prospective parents will have the opportunity to address their mental health issues through these evaluations. They will be more confident in raising their children in a way that builds trust, safety, and harmony in their lives. Many parents could have undetected mental health issues that can lead to them [either hurting or severely endangering their children's safety](https://www.jacksonville.com/article/20110811/NEWS/801246362), leading the child to develop disorders such as Multiple Personality Disorder to cope with the trauma. Children should not be born [helpless](https://scholarship.shu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1789&context=student_scholarship) into the world, hoping that their parents will take care of them lovingly and carefully. They should be born into a world with a guarantee that their parents will do the best they can. Doing mental health evaluations strengthens that guarantee and safeguard and betters both the parents’ and child’s lives. When parents go through psychological evaluations, they can either go through therapy to help them, or they can be cleared to have children right away. Remember, this evaluation will focus on the mental health of their parents. This is not focused on anything else, such as socioeconomic classes. This is solely focused on their mental health. So far, in most [research studies](https://academic.oup.com/jpepsy/article/26/8/525/2951552) and articles, there is only mention of psychological help needed for parents who have had assisted births. There needs to be a requirement and research and studies for parents who give birth to children themselves because that can be just as challenging. It can create different psychological difficulties, which can be addressed with mental health professionals' help. These evaluations **are not designed to berate anybody but is to prepare and give both the parents and their children the best possible lives** Mental health is critical, and paying attention to it is crucial for every person's well-being. This will significantly better parenting and help them cope with stress, increase their tolerance levels, and essentially equip them to be the best parents they can and help build a beautiful life with their children.

Sounds utopian. I have to come out against this one. Not sure how you'd legislate for unplanned pregnancy. You'd have to do psychological tests quickly to be withing abortion limits assuming that is even ethical for so many reasons. Having a child matures and improves so many parents that to withdraw that right is unjust. It has to be the role and responsibility of society as a whole to detect at risk children and report via social services or the like.

**TL;DR: This is the Handmaids Tale. Neither the state, nor anyone else, should have the right to legislate against our right to procreate.** I do think, however, that there should be psychological training for parents (both before they give birth and after) - a primer on how to avoid the most obvious mistakes of parenting.

**TL;DR: Mandatory psychological evaluations of prospective parents represent a chilling infringement of bodily autonomy, can become biased against certain groups, and have net negative consequences.** Mandatory psychological evaluations seem to have their roots in eugenics. The only conceivable argument for this comes from child and parental welfare. Arguably, parents with better mental health conditions can raise their kids with more ease. These kids, in turn, would have a better family environment. However, I fail to see how to distinguishes this concept from traditional eugenics. If mental health conditions should serve as a barrier to reproduction, why shouldn't physical health? Why should we not ban people with genetic diseases from reproducing? Their kids may very well suffer from these conditions after being born. The obvious answer is that these practices are entirely inhumane and ableist. That rebuttal can easily extend to mental health conditions. Overall, no one can infringe on other people’s bodily autonomy based on such an ableist notion. Second, the field of psychology has historically shown some [concerning biases](https://news.stanford.edu/2020/06/24/psychological-research-racism-problem-stanford-scholar-says/). Racism and classism have long existed in this academic discipline. While I failed to find existing literature on the equity element in the current psychological evaluation processes for adoptive parents, [the prevalent racism in the adoption industry](https://www.pactadopt.org/resources/racism.html) does not reassure me. Hence, I cannot help but wonder whether these psychological evaluations would disproportionately impact poor people and people of color. While I do not have direct evidence of these biases, the potential implications of that possibility demand at least a pulse. Finally, even if we do not engage in reasonable speculations and slippery slope exercises, the idea seems to come with more costs than benefits. Depriving people of the right to reproduce seems to overwhelm any benefits of this issue. In practice, this idea will encounter various thorny issues. What would we do with accidental pregnancy? Are we even entertaining the dangerous idea of forced abortions in that case? What would the population impacts be? How much government surveillance is necessary to enforce such a mandate? Overall, it seems much more practical to offer alternative and less extreme means of promoting child and parental welfare. For these reasons, this mandate should not become a reality.

Requiring psychological evaluations for all prospective parents is a complex issue with arguments both for and against. For: Child Welfare: Psychological evaluations could help ensure that children are raised in a safe and supportive environment. Identifying and addressing mental health issues in parents before they have children can prevent potential harm and improve the overall well-being of the child. Prevention of Abuse: Early identification of psychological issues can reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect. It can also provide parents with the necessary resources and support to manage their mental health effectively. Parental Readiness: Evaluations can assess whether individuals are mentally and emotionally prepared for the responsibilities of parenthood, potentially leading to better parenting outcomes and healthier family dynamics. Against: Privacy and Autonomy: Mandatory psychological evaluations can be seen as an invasion of privacy and an infringement on individual autonomy. It raises ethical concerns about the state's role in personal family matters. Feasibility and Fairness: Implementing such a requirement on a large scale could be logistically challenging and expensive. There is also the risk of biased assessments and unequal treatment, particularly against marginalized groups. Stigmatization: Psychological evaluations might lead to stigmatization of those with mental health issues, discouraging people from seeking help and perpetuating negative stereotypes about mental illness and parenting capabilities.