Do you believe in the "my body, choice" philosophy?

Question

That is, men should not have any rights regarding the fate of their children prior to birth? Do you believe in this only under certain circumstances, regardless of the circumstance, or under no circumstances?

If the father (and his family) were willing to raise the child regardless of whether the mother wanted to be a part of it, does he have the right to have his own child, or do you believe she should be able to deny him of his child and abort?

After all, biology is the reason she is pregnant rather than him, so should he be punished for being unable to have a baby? (and don't avoid the question by saying that men couldn't deal with it. If they were capable of pregnancy, then they could endure.)

Please answer under the terms that:
1. She was not raped, and it wasn't incestual. She consented.
2. There is no threat to her health/life should she have the baby.

If you do believe in it, do you think it goes against the ideal of gender equality? (explain)

I meant: "my body, my choice". Sorry.

Answer 1

I believe men should have a say in this, if he'd like to have the child, he should be given the right too since he helped create it. I don't know too many men who would be willing to fight for his child though. Maybe that's why the law hasn't been changed yet? Not too many men are out fighting for this right.

Also, most women who have an abortion are single and don't want to end up taking care of the child by themselves. In fact, every woman I know who had an abortion was either too young to take care of the child themselves or would have been a single parent. The men were no where to be seen.

Answer 2

I do feel in situations like this, the decision should be discussed openly and everyones feeings taken into account.
I agree with many posters on here that men should be given more institutional choices when it comes to parental responsibility. I generally advocate that a man have to option to file for giving up all parental rights and responsibilities to the child in the same time window that a woman has to legally abort. However, that being said, I also think that forcing an unwanted pregnancy on anyone against their will is illegal,and morally wrong.

I have had relationships with men who are pro-life in the past, and i dealt with it by explaining to them, before we ever had sex, what my position on this was and what i planned to do if i ever got pregnant. At that point, they had the choice to start a sexual relationship with me, with foreknowledge of what my decision would be in that situation, or they had the choice to not have a sexual relationship with me if it was that big an issue for them.

It all boils down to thinking and communicating with your sexual partners, on both sides.

also, the whole "coulda shoulda woulda" argument in this arena is pointless (ex. "she should not have sex if she doesnt want a pregnancy, she should have used birth control") because this argument is based on the assumption that the pregnancy is already a reality. so the "just dont have sex" argument in some of these answers is pretty lame.

Answer 3

There are multiple branches following the discovery of pregnancy.

Your question deals with only one branch, that case where the pregnant woman wishes to end the pregnancy while the father (paternity being stipulated) wishes to see the pregnancy carried to term, assuming all parental responsibilities following the delivery.

I side with the pregnant woman on this one. She is at risk already, simply for being pregnant; the father is not. All physical risks will borne by her, not by him (whether those be risks of pregnancy, or risks concomitant with abortion procedures). I do not think it reasonable to recognize ANY claim other than hers in this matter, which can be quite literally a matter of life and death.

That said, there remain unexamined branches. For instance, when papa says "No, no, no, no kids!" he still has no say in the decision. But he is legally stuck with financial responsibility for a project he had no authority to abort. That strikes me as a bit lop-sided, and it is a potential source of corrupt practice supported by law. Do not tell me that it does not happen. I used to work in child support enforcement; not all monsters are men.

Perhaps another time for examination of that unattractive branch.

Here and now, and always: "My body, my choice."

Answer 4

There is no equality in a lot of things especially gender. Men should have a say in their baby's future, but only if he is still in the picture. Men also have little to no rights when it comes down to visitation/custody. The courts still expect them to pay support, but frequently offer no support to the father if the mother constantly denies him the right to spend time with his child. Even then the visits are often short (a couple of times per month). When the child grows up and has problems...they always point out that the father was absent from their lives. And why? Because after years of going back and forth to court, having the mother defy a court order and refuse to let him see his kid without repercussions from the court...many men just walk away.

Answer 5

I come across this question a lot while advocating a choice for men. The answer is "no", a man should not be able to force a termination or birth of a child. At the same token a woman should not be able to force a man to be a parent. So if she decides to give birth to and keep the baby against his wishes, he should be able to "abort" his rights to the child. Her body, her Choice? Then HER sole responsibility!

Ideally, both men and women should procure a willing parent before having children. There is no way, even in marriage, to force the termination or birth of a child.

This answer applies to both sexes equally and applies regardless of your personal stance on abortion.

Regards...

Answer 6

No. The idea of "my body, my choice" doesn't apply when it so directly involves any others. It is much like saying "my car, my choice" then intentionally running over a pedestrian.

That is the crux of the matter after all. Feminism is trying (and achieving) a total meltdown when it comes to responsibility for women, regardless the cost to others. They want women to have a legal right to do any thing they want without being forced by law or biology to accept an ounce of responsibility for their actions.

Pregnancy is a result of engaging in sex. Women who engage in sex are co-responsible for any results of that act. Feminists want women (and only women) to have extra options to avoid responsibility for their actions while holding the other party to a completely different and highly restrictive set of conditions that are chosen (and get a load of this) by the woman.

When a man doesn't want to be part of a pregnancy, feminists whine about how he should have "kept it in his pants" or used contraception but when a woman doesn't want to be part of a pregnancy, she is applauded for killing the unborn baby. Grossly different actions based on sex for a group that continues to claim their aim is "equality between the sexes". Obviously, equality is NOT the goal in any shape, form or manner.

Besides the fact that killing an unborn baby is probably the most grotesque and inhumane thing a human can do, the inequality of treatment of the two individuals involved is unconstitutional.

Saying that "when men can get pregnant and give birth, they can have a choice about abortion" is as bigoted as during the Jim Crow era saying that "when blacks can be white they can drink out of the "whites only" fountain".

Reading the answers I see nothing more than the same old "my body, my choice, HIS responsibility". When are you little girls going to grow up and accept responsibility for YOUR actions?

Answer 7

I think first of all that there are very very few women who would still choose an abortion under such favorable circumstances for giving birth. She would have no compelling physical, emotional or economic reasons to abort.

And I appreciate what you are saying here, I do. However, nature did not deal an even hand on this one and it is still the woman who has the baby. If it was the man who had the baby, I would fully support his right to make the decision.

Even if she was refusing to have the baby for the most petty, childish reasons and everyone else in the family had the most compassionate and compelling reasons for her to keep it, ultimately it is her decision. To legally force her to not abort would be a violation of her physical autonomy.

Also, it seems that you'd like the decision to rest with who has the best argument for aborting or not aborting. Here's why that's going to blow a fuse. Supposing a woman got pregnant and wanted to keep her baby even if her husband/boyfriend had at least 2 compelling reasons for her to get an abortion. Under your system, they would have totally equal say and he has better arguments. Should she be forced to abort?

I don't think this goes against the ideal of gender equality In fact I think it's necessary for gender equality to exist. The fact is that women get pregnant. It's part of being female that we carry that risk (or gift) with us. But if we are to have ANY medical procedures either withheld or forced on us based on that fact (that we give birth and are therefore women) it's not equality. Our rights are not given equal respect.

Answer 8

No, I don't. Because they woman would be doing something that affects someone else. If she keeps an unwanted child, then the father must either help to raise the child or at least pay child support. If she aborts without consulting him, then she has denied him a choice. Doesn't the man have a choice whether to be a father or not? Ideally, both the man and the woman should share this decision. But if they cannot agree, a court should make the decision for them.

Answer 9

You're not just asking for the 'work' of carrying a baby - you're asking a woman to risk her life for a child.

Pregnancy is risky and childbirth is a horrendous, painful and potentially fatal process, and if it's for a child you don't want, then... it's a lot to ask and certainly shouldn't be forced onto someone. Should you be forced to donate a kidney to your child? Should the woman you ****** be forced to risk her life in pregnancy?

Would you really feel easy forcing a woman to go through pregnancy and childbirth against her will?

Answer 10

I am pro-life, so I really do not agree with the my body, my choice slogan. According to a statistic I heard, they say that for every two high schools out there, their should be a third but their isn't because of aborted fetus's. I think that us women need to be more responsible. Even if you use birth controle pills, the diaphram AND a condom and you still get pregnate and you didn't want the baby, you shouldn't have been having sex. Plain and simple. Most people now a days use abortion as a form of birth controle. *OMG I'm pregnate. I must have forgotten to take the pill. Quick! Whats the number of the closet abortion clinic?* They don't see the wonderfulness of having a baby. And even if she didn't want the baby their are so many couples that want children and cannot have them, so they want to adopt. (My cousins were one of those couples until they adopted a wonderful baby boy.)

And even if she was raped, why punish the child for what someone else did to her? And for the threat to her life, the ONLY threat that I can think of that would require and abortion (and it would actually require a sergary) is tubal pregnancy. Other 'health' problems can be adverted by have a C-section early and have a premy.

I don't know when women and doctors decided they could start playing God and deside who should live and die, but it was wrong when it started, it is wrong now, and it will always be wrong!

ABORTION IS WRONG! STOP KILLING INNOCENT CHILDREN!