Abortion Rights For Men
So its been a long weekend, sorry for the lack of updates! Today's post is a kicker though.
Apparently a man is ready to file suit to block a child support order for a kid he doesn't want - claiming its not fair that men should have to pay child support when they have no say in whether or not they want the child.
On one hand, it is an interesting concept. If a man wants the baby and the mother doesn't, she can abort anyway. But if the father doesn't want it and the mother does, not only can she still have the baby but he has to pay child support for eighteen years.
They say this is a call for "equal rights for men." For some ranting on this issue, see Yourish.com's post on the story.
That argument makes sense up until the point where we realize that pregnancy itself is not equal. There's a living, breathing thing growing inside of you. When men can get pregnant, then we'll talk equal rights.
An interesting idea someone brought up is having pre-intercourse contracts over possible pregnancies. For example, they can sign off that any pregnancy that results is no responsability of the male. That would make sense because then the woman knows what she's getting into ahead of time. This also would prevent the much-cited cases of women purposefully getting pregnant (ie, lying about being on the pill, pulling the condom out of the trash can....) in order to manipulate the situation. Men could protect themselves early on in the game.
But once a woman's pregnant, sorry, there's just no way a man has a right to get off helping her support a child. Its half his responsability, genetically. And if men could get pregnant, I doubt it would be as easy for them to "just get an abortion."
Finally, I find that this is a rather frivolous issue considering the more important fact that all abortion was just banned in South Dakota (see last week's post.)
Its great that America is moving forward - into a time when women can't have abortions, and men don't have to pay to support the child. Somehow Victorian times aren't looking so bad anymore...
But at least we're in Afghanistan protecting women's rights?
Apparently a man is ready to file suit to block a child support order for a kid he doesn't want - claiming its not fair that men should have to pay child support when they have no say in whether or not they want the child.
On one hand, it is an interesting concept. If a man wants the baby and the mother doesn't, she can abort anyway. But if the father doesn't want it and the mother does, not only can she still have the baby but he has to pay child support for eighteen years.
They say this is a call for "equal rights for men." For some ranting on this issue, see Yourish.com's post on the story.
That argument makes sense up until the point where we realize that pregnancy itself is not equal. There's a living, breathing thing growing inside of you. When men can get pregnant, then we'll talk equal rights.
An interesting idea someone brought up is having pre-intercourse contracts over possible pregnancies. For example, they can sign off that any pregnancy that results is no responsability of the male. That would make sense because then the woman knows what she's getting into ahead of time. This also would prevent the much-cited cases of women purposefully getting pregnant (ie, lying about being on the pill, pulling the condom out of the trash can....) in order to manipulate the situation. Men could protect themselves early on in the game.
But once a woman's pregnant, sorry, there's just no way a man has a right to get off helping her support a child. Its half his responsability, genetically. And if men could get pregnant, I doubt it would be as easy for them to "just get an abortion."
Finally, I find that this is a rather frivolous issue considering the more important fact that all abortion was just banned in South Dakota (see last week's post.)
Its great that America is moving forward - into a time when women can't have abortions, and men don't have to pay to support the child. Somehow Victorian times aren't looking so bad anymore...
But at least we're in Afghanistan protecting women's rights?
posted by Brittany at 3/13/2006 07:44:00 am
2 Comments:
Hey Brittany!
"When men can get pregnant, then we'll talk equal rights."
That pretty much says it all. As if there weren't enough ridiculous ideas regarding abortion (and immigration. and our basic freedoms. and humanitarianism. and, and, and.), now they're being pro-choice to a degree that makes them just as dismissive of women's rights as the protestors outside of abortion clinics.
If I seem bitter, it's because I am.
Love,
Ritu
Well thats fine hun, that's what I'm here for, bring out the bitter!
Luv Britt
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