CMV: There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a "deadbeat dad" if you make intentions clear from the start

Women in western world overwhelmingly have the right to elective abortions, even after Dobbs elective abortions in the first trimester remain legal for a significant majority of American women.

Contrary to what some feminists and progressives argue online, this has never been primarily about bodily autonomy to mainstream society. There are plenty of ways that governments restrict bodily autonomy, many of which are uncontroversial.

Rather, the preferred slogan for pro-choice advocates has been "reproductive rights" or "reproductive freedom", which the WHO defines as

Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the.

The emphasis has always been on the burden of raising a child, and sparing women(and men incidentally) from that burden. Specifically, the right to unilaterally opt out of that burden after conceiving a child. Nine months of gestation is absolutely trivial compared to 18 months of childrearing.

Given this, why shouldn't men have the same right to opt out of parenthood after conception? Why is it that men are labelled as irresponsible and selfish for not supporting a child that they never wanted? Why should men be criticized for not supporting women's desires to be mothers?

Some might argue that it's different because there is a baby in the picture, but that was ultimately the mother's decision as well. If the father made it clear that they have no interest in raising a child upon being informed of the pregnancy, the mother virtually always has at least one of the options of terminating the pregnancy, giving the baby up for adoption after birth, or surrendering it to the state to be adopted.

Contraceptive options for men are unfortunately limited, and the most reliable method that exists(condoms) can easily be sabotaged by a woman who wants to lock him down. And regardless, most contraception methods have a significant chance of failure.

I firmly believe that every sexually active man should consider an "exit plan" in case of an unplanned pregnancy that is kept by the mother, whether it's hiding your full name, relocating to another state(temporarily or permanently), or even to another country for those fortunate enough to have that option (European citizenship-by-ancestry laws is a possible path to a second passport and citizenship for many white Americans).