Should men should have a voice (or a vote) in deciding whether or not women may have abortions?

Question

This is not a question regarding the morality of abortion. It's not about Pro-choice or Pro-Life. Nor am I saying that men can't have an opinion. This is strictly a question regarding whether males should have a "vote" in deciding this issue. I'm asking for your opinion. I'm asking you to take this serious. I'm asking you to spare me the religious dogma.

Being as it's the woman who has to bear the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual consequences of the decision she makes regarding her pregnancy, why should males "have a vote" on this issue? No matter what the decision is, it's the woman whose life will be most affected. She will undergo physical changes. She will have emotional issues whether she aborts, gives the baby up for adoption or keeps the baby.

I am male and feel that men will never be faced with these issues but women (whether they have been pregnant yet or not) will at some point in their lifes be confronted with all these aspects of the issue.

Sorry I wasn't clear at first. My question was aimed more at the "group" perspective more than it was from an individual basis. For example, if the right to have an abortion was put up to a vote in the US, should men be allowed to vote or should it be strictly the women who can vote on this issue?

Answer 1

I have always believed that while men are, naturally, free to have an opinion, they should not be deciding or voting for an issue that will never impact them in the intimate way it does a woman.

There are many who say that men are equally impacted by the abortion issue: some become fathers because against their urging, a woman refuses to abort; others do not become fathers because despite their pleadings, a woman aborts their child. I can see their point, but I still maintain that it's ultimately the woman's body, so it's ultimately her decision.

I would feel a lot better about the whole abortion debate in the US if only women were allowed to vote or legislate on it. All the other very divisive issues affect both men and women directly: taxes, the death penalty, immigration, social programs, everything. Abortion is the only issue I can think of where one gender is affected directly, while the other is only engaged indirectly. And as such, I think it's the people directly affected by it who should have the say, not men who will never, ever in their lives have to deal with actually carrying a child inside their bodies.

Actually, as I was proofing this before posting it, I thought of one other issue that only directly affects one gender: the military draft. However, I have believed since the day I accompanied one of my friends down to the post office to register for the draft, that women should be included in it, as well. I think if it is reinstated, it should include females as well as males, as studies show women do just as well in the military as men. And the fact of the matter is that the draft CAN have a direct impact on people of both sexes. Right now, I actually know as many people who have daughters and sisters deployed in Iraq as I do people who have sons and brothers over there; I know the deployed troops are overwhelmingly male, but I also know that is changing, and that for now at least, people are there on a voluntary basis. However, biology places a limit on who can actually carry a child, so it is a slightly different case. No amount of legislation will ever make it so men get pregnant.

Answer 2

Yes. Whenever we make public policy decisions it is society as a whole making decisions that do not necessarily affect every person or even the majority of people.

For example, we as a society have decided that rich people should pay higher taxes than everyone else. By the logic of only letting women decide the legality of abortions, only rich people should have a say in what tax rate rich people should have to pay.

In a functioning democracy we all have a say in what should or should not be legal. We just have to hope that the majority will consider the rights of everyone when they make these decisions.

Answer 3

I offer you two options:

1) its not the mans body...ITS NOT THE WOMANS BODY EITHER!!! only the child should be able to decide whether its aborted or not, neither of the parents should have a say

2) the father ONLY should decide...since the women have to go through so much pain during childbirth, all that added on weight during the 9 months, and sore nipples while breastfeeding. Dont get my logic? Obviously the women will have a predisposed hatred toward the child (before its born) knowing all the pain and agony they have to go through. So obviously the father is the only one out of the two who can think straight enough to make a rational decision.

LOL im just kidding, abortion should be illegal (those are good arguments though)

Answer 4

If a husband and wife are going to have a baby together, the child is both of theirs. It takes both of them to make it, and it gets it's genes from both of them. It is as much the father's child as it is the mother's. I am anti-abortion, but as long as it exists I think the father has just as much of a right to making the decision and the mother does. Would you think it absurd if a man was trying to force a woman to abort her child if she wanted that child? Would not everyone be outraged? If my wife wanted to abort my son and I wanted my son more than anything in the entire world, I believe I would be more emotionally damaged (and physically too since its pretty much a guarantee that depression leads to physical pain on top of mental and emotional) than my wife would be. Of course this isnt the case but if she felt that way and truly didnt care about her child like I would and she could do such a thing, I honestly can say that in those circumstances I would be more hurt than her. Yes its true that if there are any physicals damages caused by the procedure that I wouldnt experience those but I'd rather be more brutally mutilated than that by ten fold than have my own wife take the life of my son while I just sit there being told "its her body so its her choice" **** THAT! Its my son's body that is dying and being disposed of like yesterday's newspaper, not my wife's. I respect women more than you'll ever know for the pain they have to go through during childbirth. But it is still the father's child. Not 70-30...50-50.
Its sad that society even allows children to be murdered for convinience. But as long as abortion is legal, the father and mother BOTH should have to agree for it to happen. Only if the father abandons the mother should it be her choice.

Answer 5

There's no practical way to take that voice away from men, even if it were a good idea. You have, in fact, just added your voice in arguing against that very thing - and have by implication approved of choice rather than no choice. Which is find by me, but you can see that it may be better to educate other men (and women) than to stay silent on this issue

Answer 6

No, women decides about her body. The reason why man tryed to control women is because of her ability of birth and because without medical examination is only for sure that women is a baby's mother.

Answer 7

No its not their bodies , and the responsibility usually always falls on the woman . It is a woman who is most affected by the pregnancy and the birth of a child.

Answer 8

the way i see it ( minus al the religious-ness) yes a women should have the choice to say okay i wanna abort this thing even though i've always been against abortions and men shouldnt really they dont have to go through what we have to go through so what would be the point in have thier oponion?!

Answer 9

Most certainly, women don't make the babies alone... men gotta have a voice in this because they are parents too you know....

Ideally however, I don't think anyone should opt for an abortion...

Answer 10

It takes two to make a baby so it's only fair if both parties are given opportunity to make a decision together.