Equality at Birth: Democracy and the State’s Obligation to All Children

I recently had an interesting conversation with a friend about democracy and the obligations of the state to children born within its borders. In a democratic society, the state has an equal obligation to ensure the safety, support, and well-being of every child, regardless of their background. However, the discussion focused on whether children born into privileged families, like royalty or those with government connections, should receive more benefits from the state than others.

In a true democracy, the state should treat all children equally, without favoritism based on a child’s family or social connections. Any additional privileges or benefits a child might receive should come from private means, such as family wealth or connections, and not from the state itself. If the state starts treating children differently based on their family background, it goes against democratic principles. For instance, if a child born into a royal family receives more state support and privileges than other children, this suggests an unequal system where not all citizens are treated fairly from birth.

Looking back at monarchies, children born to royal families were often treated differently by the state, receiving special care and privileges due to their status. This is not in line with democratic values, where all children should be afforded the same opportunities and support from the state. However, if certain benefits are provided to children because their parents are government employees (e.g., healthcare or education support), this is a different matter, as it is related to the employment contract between the state and the employee, not the child's inherent status.

The conclusion of our discussion was that while there’s nothing inherently wrong with having a royal family, it does raise questions about equality in a democratic state. If the state offers more support to children of royal or privileged families simply because of their birth status, this creates a classification system that contradicts the fundamental ideals of democracy. In a true democratic state, all children, regardless of their family background, should receive equal support from the state. If certain children receive more because of their birth status, it becomes a partial democracy, where people are treated differently based on social classification rather than equality.

In essence, democracy should ensure that all children are treated equally from birth, and any additional privileges should come from private, not state, sources