Irvine (philosophy, Wright State U., Dayton, Ohio) presents a companion text to his previous book, Doing Right by Children in which he explored the ethical issues of parenting. Here the author focuses on the political issues. Though a self-proclaimed libertarian, Irvine suggests that, because not all individuals are moved by moral considerations to do right by their children, it may be appropriate for government to play a role in certain aspects of parenting. He asks who should be allowed by government to procreate and to raise children, and how government should regulate parental behavior. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)