This is something that I feel quite strongly about. I believe whole-heartedly in a woman's reproductive rights, but I also believe in equality. There is no equality in the current method. The woman, by herself, makes the decision to have or give up the child that BOTH parties created. There are several situations that can potentially arise.

Carry the pregnancy to term?

Father: Yes Mother: Yes --- Great! The baby will be carried to term and, barring any unforeseeable problems, loved and raised in a wonderful home.

Father: No Mother: No --- Also great! They've agreed that they are not ready for a child and they're going to act together in a way that suits them both.

Father: Yes Mother: No --- The mother is the only decision that legally matters here, so the father is not able to meet the child he helped create. This can lead to long-term depression in the father over what could have been. I don't need to enumerate the many serious medical issues that can arise from depression. Many argue that the woman has to bear all of the potential negative medical repercussions from carrying and birthing a child, but this discounts the seriousness of the psychological conditions that can be effectively forced upon the father.

Father: No Mother: Yes --- Again, only her decision matters. She's choosing to have the child that has made perfectly clear that he doesn't want and is not in a position to raise and nurture. He will likely be taken to court and forced to pay exorbitant child-care costs that he, again, made perfectly clear before it got to this point that he was unable to manage. He has no rights in the situation, other than the right to kneel before the court and accept any fate they impose on him lest he be jailed for contempt.

In all of these situations, there was a decision made by BOTH the mother and the father to engage in sex without contraceptives, yet only the mother has a say in how the consequences of these actions that they took together will play out. The father is at the mercy of the mother's will regardless of the situation.

If the father and the mother engage in the act TOGETHER, shouldn't they be able to make the decision TOGETHER?

Why is the father cast aside? That doesn't strike me as equality...

EDIT: If you're going to down-vote me I'm going to have to assume you don't agree. Perhaps you would care to comment? Discussion amongst two or more people with differing viewpoints is the only way to further understanding. Conversing with those that agree with me doesn't do anything to expand my world view. Please, share with me your reasons for down-voting!