by sugarmead » Fri Sep 01, 2006 12:41 pm
LONDON -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday the state should intervene early -- possibly even before birth -- to stop the children of problem families growing up into troublemakers.<br><br>One think tank said the idea, the latest step in Mr. Blair's drive against crime and antisocial behaviour in Britain, verged on "genetic determinism."<br><br>In his first interview since returning from a Caribbean holiday, Mr. Blair told the British Broadcasting Corp. that teenage mothers could be required to accept state assistance with bringing up their children and could face sanctions if they refused.<br><br>Intervention might even be needed "pre-birth," he said.<br><br>Print Edition - Section Front<br> Enlarge Image <br><br>More World Stories<br>Afghans tipped to NATO sweep <br>China sentences reporter to prison <br>Iran's nuclear plans pose 'grave threat,' Bush warns <br>Not so blessed are Israel's peacemakers <br>Pakistan wants nuclear bargain <br>U.S. judge orders cleanup of ailing Astor's dirty home <br>Go to the World section <br> "If we are not prepared to predict and intervene far more early, then there are children that are going to grow up in families that we know perfectly well are completely dysfunctional," Mr. Blair said, "and the kids a few years down the line are going to be a menace to society and actually a threat to themselves."<br><br>Mr. Blair is seeking to put the focus on his policies to try to halt a slump in his government's popularity and shift media attention away from the question of when he will step down in favour of his expected successor, Finance Minister Gordon Brown.<br><br>He said the government could say to an unmarried teenage mother who was not in a stable relationship: "Here is the support we are prepared to offer you, but we do need to keep a careful watch on you and how your situation is developing because all the indicators are that your type of situation can lead to problems in the future."<br><br>Anastasia de Waal, of social policy think tank Civitas, was quoted on the BBC's website as saying: "It is teetering on genetic determinism this kind of saying that before children are even born they are labelled as problematic."<br><br>Oliver Letwin, policy director for the opposition Conservative Party, slammed Mr. Blair's idea, saying more state intervention and bureaucracy were not the answer.<br><br>"The only realistic way forward lies with social enterprise, charities and voluntary groups. It is no good the government simply trying to run peoples' lives," he said<br> <p></p><i></i>
