Male abortion rights?
Marianne Bossert
Issue date: 3/27/06 Section: Opinion
On March 9, men's rights activists filed a lawsuit aimed at giving men the right to opt out of financial responsibility for raising a child. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a man who is required to pay child support for his ex-girlfriend's daughter.
The activists are hoping to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court and their goal is to establish a procedure that allows men to opt out of monetary child support for a limited amount of time at the beginning of an unplanned pregnancy, just as women can opt out of raising a child by choosing adoption or abortion.
Although many women's rights activists may disagree with giving men this option, the men may be making a reasonable request provided the courts establish other laws to ensure the process runs smoothly.
The main argument women's rights activists may make against the release of financial responsibility is a woman's freedom to have an abortion has nothing to do with her right to choose or not to choose parenthood; it has to do, rather, with her right to choose what she can do with her body. This is a legitimate argument and is hopefully the reason many women's rights activists fight anti-abortion legislation.
This argument, however, misses a critical point in the debate: the decision to abort or give up a child for adoption does give the woman the opportunity to relinquish responsibility for the child.
Even though the woman's right to choose abortion was not established with the intention of absolving the mother from parental responsibilities, the mother is nonetheless granted that benefit as a side effect of the law. It is an extreme double standard to grant this choice to the woman and not to the man.
That being said, the court needs to establish some procedural standards in order for the process of opting out to be successful.
First, the father must be required to make his decision before the child is born and with enough time left in the pregnancy to give the woman time to consider her choices.
The activists are hoping to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court and their goal is to establish a procedure that allows men to opt out of monetary child support for a limited amount of time at the beginning of an unplanned pregnancy, just as women can opt out of raising a child by choosing adoption or abortion.
Although many women's rights activists may disagree with giving men this option, the men may be making a reasonable request provided the courts establish other laws to ensure the process runs smoothly.
The main argument women's rights activists may make against the release of financial responsibility is a woman's freedom to have an abortion has nothing to do with her right to choose or not to choose parenthood; it has to do, rather, with her right to choose what she can do with her body. This is a legitimate argument and is hopefully the reason many women's rights activists fight anti-abortion legislation.
This argument, however, misses a critical point in the debate: the decision to abort or give up a child for adoption does give the woman the opportunity to relinquish responsibility for the child.
Even though the woman's right to choose abortion was not established with the intention of absolving the mother from parental responsibilities, the mother is nonetheless granted that benefit as a side effect of the law. It is an extreme double standard to grant this choice to the woman and not to the man.
That being said, the court needs to establish some procedural standards in order for the process of opting out to be successful.
First, the father must be required to make his decision before the child is born and with enough time left in the pregnancy to give the woman time to consider her choices.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 5
J. Glover
posted 7/27/08 @ 8:47 PM CST
This is really interesting. I believe that when a child is conceived (in a normal situation), that the "choice" has already been made. I think that the male should do all that should be done to prevent conceiving a child and stop leaving the birth-control method up to the female. (Continued…)
B. Simmons
posted 7/30/08 @ 3:30 AM CST
Yes it would be wonderful if birth control were a hundred percent effective but it isnt.
And though the ability to have limited window of opportunity to opt out of fiscal and legal responsibility of a potential child is an option for women. (Continued…)
Tom
posted 8/01/08 @ 1:12 PM CST
If the Father does not want a baby. The only child support he should pay is the cost of an abortion. The father would loose all custody rights to the child and then be done with it and not be held liable for the birth of a human. (Continued…)
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