One of the crowning achievements of the feminist movement has arguably been the historic gains in women's reproductive rights and rights to choose what happens to their own bodies. But what if women's reproductive rights mirrored men's?

  • Women have the right to abstain from sex. If they do not abstain, they are legally and financially bound to the consequences of the man's decisions.

  • Women must protect themselves with birth control, as there can be no reasonable expectation that their partner will do the same. The man cannot be charged with a crime for "surprise sex" or sex without protection (thank you, Sweden).

  • If that birth control fails, women are given no say in what happens to the resulting pregnancy; that responsibility is given entirely to the man (thank you, Roe v. Wade).

  • Even if the man temporarily gives a choice to the woman, he is allowed to revoke that choice at any time for any reason, including financial entrapment of the woman. She cannot fight this in any court.

  • Provided that the man does not want the resulting fetus, he alone decides if it will be aborted. The woman cannot sue to keep the child, even if she wanted it, and the man had agreed previously to keep it.

  • If the man does want the child, the woman cannot demand the fetus be aborted, even if she cannot afford to take care of it or even be present to care for it; it is, after all, a man's choice. :)

  • Once the child is born, the woman can be stripped of her parental rights with any number of accusations--cruelty, child abuse, molestation, spousal abuse. No matter how unfounded the accusations, they will be treated as evidence of her guilt and used against her in family court.

  • If the man decides that he does not want the woman in the child's life, he may abscond with the child; the woman cannot sue for visitation unless the couple is married, and the man can always bring up the previous accusations if he feels so inclined.

  • Even if the man does want the woman in the child's life, if he ever tires of her or desires another woman, he is automatically granted custody of the child (even if temporarily) upon dissolving the relationship. The woman must always proactively fight to be able to see her own children.

  • Upon leaving said relationship, if the man feels that he cannot care for the child as well as when the mother was available, he can demand child support for the child regardless and alimony for himself if married (or in a long-term relationship--thank you, Canada). Because even though the woman might have the better job, it is assumed that the man will always be the more appropriate parent.

  • Any rules, restrictions, or ludicrous penalties women face in family court are unchallengeable and unchangeable; in fact, merely by fighting the rules of the court, the woman risks jail time (where she will face a reasonable chance of being raped) or being forbidden to ever see her own child again. There is no defense against these judgments.

So... who wants reproductive equality with men?