The family-autonomy argument would also block bans on child labor and domestic violence
Evidence
The anti-paternalism argument collapses under its own terms when applied to children, because the philosophical case for limiting state paternalism depends on the subject being a self-directing adult agent. The family autonomy argument is stronger — it is an institutional claim about enforcement capacity rather than an individual-liberty claim — but it proves too much. On its logic, no prohibition of intra-family harm is defensible until full enforcement infrastructure is in place, which would equally delay prohibitions on child labor, child marriage, and domestic violence. — , The Rod and the Child, 7803
Categorization
- QUESTION: The ‘proves too much’ reductio — would its logic truly require full enforcement infrastructure before any prohibition of intra-family harm, or is there a severity threshold that saves it?