Channel 4 is set to launch a controversial new programme which will try to bring strangers together in order to raise a child.
‘Strangers Making Babies’, which airs tonight, aims to pair would-be parents, who have no interest in romantic relationships, with like-minded individuals.
While co-parenting is common among divorced or separated parents, the new programme has come under fire for presenting children as a commodity, rather than as the precious result of a married couple.
‘Exploitative’
The Christian Institute’s Ciarán Kelly said the idea behind the programme is “exploitative and irresponsible”.
He said: “Channel 4 are seeking to plumb new depths with this show. They should not be experimenting with people’s lives in this way.
“Children do best when they are brought up with the love of their married mum and dad, not for the so-called entertainment of a television audience.”
exploitative and irresponsible
‘Less benefit for children’
Harry Benson, Research Director of the Marriage Foundation, commented: “US studies show that cooperative co-parenting arrangements like this have much less benefit for children than most people assume.
“This programme appears to be treating children as secondary consumer goods rather than as the product of a loving relationship.
“UK and US evidence shows that children tend to fare best with both parents under the same roof. That’s most likely to happen if the parents are married.”
The four-part series was filmed over the space of a year.