Should fathers have the legal right to an abortion?

Huwbacca · 2013-11-07T16:23:55+00:00

No but they SHOULD have a legal right to not be forced into fatherhood.. No I don't believe men should have the rights over a women's body in any way. But they ought to have an out for being held responsible for what is absolutely her choice. No men don't need access to abortion rights.

PowerWisdomCourage · 2013-11-07T16:32:39+00:00

Nope, but they should have the right to legally surrender their obligations and rights (ha!) to the child within a certain period after being notified of pregnancy/birth.

Number357 · 2013-11-07T17:05:11+00:00

This question comes up a lot on here. No, whether or not she gets an abortion is her decision and hers alone. But, if it's her decision, she should also be the one responsible for that decision. A man who was forced into fatherhood should not be forced to pay child support on a kid he never wanted. He should be able to give up his rights/responsibilities in essentially the same way that a single mother could give her child up for adoption.

2013-11-07T17:34:18+00:00

A man should have no control over of a pregnant woman who may or may not want to abort the child. In the other hand a man should be able to "abort" himself from the woman and child should he wish to.

chocoboat · 2013-11-07T16:33:35+00:00

Absolutely not. No woman should have to get permission from a man to make choices in her own life, and abortion as the default is kind of insane.

The way to solve the issue of men being forced into fatherhood (and the financial responsibilities of it) is to allow legal paternal surrender within a short time period after the pregnancy occurs. This way the man can opt out if he never wanted to become a parent, and the woman has time to make her choice now knowing whether she'll be receiving child support checks or not.

Ma99ie · 2013-11-07T16:37:25+00:00

PerniciousOne · 2013-11-08T06:12:32+00:00

Just like women have to consent to become mothers, men should have the same option to become fathers.

Women have to consent to become a mother because she has access to condoms, a multitude of birth control options, the morning after pill, abortion, adoption, safe-haven laws, and keeping the child.

Men have to support whatever decision the women have made. They have access to condoms which have a ~5% failure rate. They have no other options than whatever the woman wants to do.

By default men should not be seen as a father, unless they choose to become a parent.

Bear_naked_grylls · 2013-11-07T16:40:01+00:00

No. You can't force a woman to have an abortion. They have the right to bodily autonomy and choice, just as we (men) should have the right of choice. Why should the man be the sole decision maker. I think men should have the right to forfeit all rights/responsibilities to a child (before it is born), if the mother wants to keep it and he does not. Obviously this is not ideal for the child, but if the mother, knowing the father wants nothing to do with it, chooses to go through with raising a child on her own the onus is on her as much as it is on him.

raptorrage · 2013-11-07T18:01:11+00:00

I don't feel bad for any man that doesn't wear a condom and knocks someone up, unless it's an abusive relationship where he can't protect himself. If I didn't use birth control, and got pregnant, I would understand that it's my dumb fault if I get pregnant. You need to take advantage of the birth control options that are available to you to avoid abortion being on the table.

Also this idea that you should be able to not take responsibility for a child you helped create is pathetic. Before having sex with someone, you should talk to them and make sure you're on the same page with birth control options, but understand that many people get attached when they find out they're pregnant. If you consensually put your sperm there, I have very little pity for you.

rightsbot · 2013-11-07T16:04:17+00:00

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gaha71 · 2013-11-07T18:18:17+00:00

This is a tricky topic. If a woman decides to have an abortion and the father is against it. Should she keep it? Probably not if she is steadfast about the abortion. On the other hand, the man has no say the other way around because it's not his body going through it. If ask me., I think both parties should communicate on all options before a baby shows up. Not sure about approval but definitely a conversation needs to be had and if all else fails and if the father is unsure get paternity test http://www.4dnatransport.com

VoodooIdol · 2013-11-07T19:05:36+00:00

Should the father be able to force an abortion? No. If he doesn't want the child should he be able to abdicate responsibility? Yes.

blkarcher77 · 2013-11-07T19:11:21+00:00

No, they shouldnt, as it is the girls body, and she should be able to do what she wants. However, the man should not be forced into fatherhood or child support, as he did express that he did not want to have a child. If the woman wants the baby after that, her choice.

ventuckyspaz · 2013-11-07T20:02:40+00:00

Oh God no that would be awful but the father maybe should be allowed an "op-out" on raising the child or having financial responsibility for it.

Pecanpig · 2013-11-07T20:04:28+00:00

Worth noting that paternity tests done before birth pose significant risk to the development of the fetus.

I think that would be a better system than what we have now, but far from a good one.

PS: Proxy response to the "men shouldn't control women's bodies" how about just the fetus which happens to be in the woman's body?

krausyaoj · 2013-11-07T21:57:40+00:00

From http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion/legal/fathers.shtml

In most countries men have no right to insist that a woman abort an embryo that they have fathered.

By mentioning most countries, are their countries where men can insist on an abortion?

JaydenPope · 2013-11-07T22:29:14+00:00

Should mothers require approval of the father before giving birth with abortion the default?

That would take things two steps back for women. I think it would be better for men to have a financial abortion.

nihilist_nancy · 2013-11-08T00:00:49+00:00

They should but it will never happen. The best we can hope for is legal parental surrender.

Which isn't to say we shouldn't push for this as part of the overall message that men need reproductive rights.

2013-11-08T00:21:11+00:00

I'm not a fan of abortion when women use it, though I support its legal status so long as there are a few regulations, none the less I firmly disagree that men should be able to force women into abortions. However, we should have the right to abandon parental liability much in the same way women currently have.

Bottom line there's an unarguable inequality here, on paper women have 3 chances to avoid a parental obligation:

Abstinence
Birth control
Abortion

You could actually count the morning after pill as a separate means of avoiding the obligation as well, if you wanted to.

Whilst men have two:

Abstinence
Condoms (less effective than female means of birth control as well)

Assuming the female becomes pregnant men have no third option to abandon parental obligations whilst women do and men are beholden to their decision and their decision alone. If such a major life changing decision left women beholden to men, alterations to law would have been made decades ago.

2013-11-08T06:00:48+00:00

I don't think a man should be able to force a woman to get/not get an abortion. However, if the man wants no part of the child and the woman doesn't want to abort, the man should be able to legally separate himself from any and all present/future financial responsibility.

QuixoticTendencies · 2013-11-07T17:03:09+00:00

It's a tricky question. It comes down to what you think is more important, the right of a child to a decent childhood, the right of the mother to bodily autonomy, or the right of the father to bodily autonomy. If A, forced abortion is ideal because it would prevent mothers from bringing children into the world to lead shitty lives. If B, parental surrender for the father with no compulsion to abort is ideal. If C, forced abortion is ideal, with parental surrender as a close second, because bodily autonomy includes both "the right to your own labor" and "the right to your own sperm/DNA".

I'd go for parental surrender with government compensation given to the mother to encourage her to abort. It sounds callous, but there are so many conflicting rights when it comes to reproductive issues that a middle ground is really all we can strive for.

Title	Should fathers have the legal right to an abortion?
Author	krausyaoj
Upvotes	12
Comments	72
Date	November 7, 2013 4:02 PM UTC (12 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/1q3vc2/should_fathers_have_the_legal_right_to_an_abortion/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/should-fathers-have-the-legal-right-to-an-abortion.1159391 https://theredarchive.com/post/1159391

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