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Ask HN: How To Approach Ethical Considerations Of Non-Profit Startup?
Hello HN!
Our startup intends to compensate people who opt to not have children, and we want to be absolutely sure that we're operating ethically (ensuring those who opt in aren't coerced, are fully informed of their decision and any consequences, etc).
We're interested if anyone has experience engaging ethics professionals, whether for a non-profit startup or other situations that called for ethics considerations.
Thanks!
- robotbikes 8y agoThe premise sounds ethically frought from the beginning. Monetary compensation is always going to have a coercive influence towards people who need it. Sounds similar to eugenic where poor women were paid to be sterilized because it will only influence people poor enough to need $. I'm figuring you aren't taking that route but instead offering payments. Education and resources to avoid unwanted pregnancy such as condoms, access to birth control would seem to be more ethical. A lot of the ethical aspects would depend upon the society that people are living in and their cultural norms.
- dwindleorg 8y ago> The premise sounds ethically frought from the beginning. We agree wholeheartedly, hence the desire to bring ethics professionals and researchers into the process as early as possible. Our initial idea was direct cash transfers to participants, a model that we've seen other charities adopt to provide aid. As you mention, this is fraught with ethical peril, so we continue to iterate on what the final aid delivery method will be (which is likely to be a combination of education, birth control, health care delivery, and direct transfer payments).
- robotbikes 8y agoUltimately if people feel comfortable that their children will grow up healthy and happy to adulthood it is widely accepted that the birthrate will tend to decrease. So providing childcare. Any kind of reduced aid due to having (more) children would tend to punish people who have children. I think that you maybe able to find an ethical framework that matches your goals but that is just because there isn't a universal agreement on ethics. Also it's kind of impossible for people to understand the cost/benefits of having children because in general kids are amazing, unique and considered by many their primary source of happiness especially in later life. There are also familial pressures on young people to have children but I'm mostly familiar with life in a developed nation and I'm kind of assuming you are targeting the less developed countries with higher rates of poverty and birthrates. Either way I'm not a professional ethicist so probably not the advice you are seeking.