Abortion

[psychocat]

I would be interested to know what others think of abortion as it relates to the men involved.
We often hear about a womans choice to terminate but what if the "father" feels differently ?

Should a man be able to challenge the termination of his child ?

[overgrowthegovt]

Yes. It's his kid, too. If he does challenge it, he should, of course, be willing to accept raising it alone and paying for it all himself. If the father is willing to do this, I don't really see how he can be denied.

[Breukelen advocaat]

Yes. It's his kid, too. If he does challenge it, he should, of course, be willing to accept raising it alone and paying for it all himself. If the father is willing to do this, I don't really see how he can be denied.
Why should the father have sole responsibility of paying for it? The majority of single mothers (including ones that are with another man) are entitled to child support payments from the biological father even if he never wanted kids to begin with.

If a man has the right to insist on his child being born, then the child's mother should be made to pay child support.

[GraziLovesMary]

Ill put it like this: if somehow I got somebody pregnant and I could convince them to keep it on the terms that I paid for her entire pregnancy hospitalization, paid for everything afterwards, raised the child myself.. anything else absurd she could think of.. I would sell my soul to make it happen.

I would never tell a woman what to do, if she doesnt want to bear a child for 9 months, I can say nothing. But I would sure beg and try to convince her and make any offer I could to sway her if at all possible.. I would love to have a child, and I would cry if she decided to terminate it. But once it had been done, I would leave it at that.

[overgrowthegovt]

Why should the father have sole responsibility of paying for it? The majority of single mothers (including ones that are with another man) are entitled to child support payments from the biological father even if he never wanted kids to begin with.

If a man has the right to insist on his child being born, then the child's mother should be made to pay child support.

Idealistically, I agree with you, but if this were to become a reality, it wouldn't happen that way...it would be a major victory just to get society to recognize the rights of a father at all, let alone allow him to decide whether his kid lives or dies. If a man earned the right to challenge an abortion, it would, realistically, only be on the terms grazillovesmary mentioned, which is, naturally, reverse sexism, but the only way this would fly.

[Dave Byrd]

Why should the father have sole responsibility of paying for it?
This didn't make sense to me. Fathers don't have the sole responsibility of paying for babies/children. Mamas pay, too. Child support is usually a far smaller percentage of that child's keep than what the custodial parent ponies up financially. The mothers are also expending more sweat equity to raise them since they bear the brunt of that responsibility especially when the children are small. Plus they take on the wear and tear on their bodies.

In Texas, mothers pay child support all the time when the fathers are the custodial parents.

[Breukelen advocaat]

This didn't make sense to me. Fathers don't have the sole responsibility of paying for babies/children. Mamas pay, too. Child support is usually a far smaller percentage of that child's keep than what the custodial parent ponies up financially. The mothers are also expending more sweat equity to raise them since they bear the brunt of that responsibility especially when the children are small. Plus they take on the wear and tear on their bodies.

In Texas, mothers pay child support all the time when the fathers are the custodial parents.
I was responding to overgrowthegovt, who wrote,
"Yes. It's his kid, too. If he does challenge it, he should, of course, be willing to accept raising it alone and paying for it all himself (bold mine). If the father is willing to do this, I don't really see how he can be denied." http://boards.cannabis.com/womens-issues/167209-abortion.html#post1956990

[RobPA]

I would be interested to know what others think of abortion as it relates to the men involved.
We often hear about a womans choice to terminate but what if the "father" feels differently ?

Should a man be able to challenge the termination of his child ?

The decision should be mutual IMO, but when it comes down to it its her choice.

[devils dream]

this thread got me thinking and initially i thought damn right they should get a say and then i realised just how many varying factors there are and dont think its easy thing to say one way or the other in terms of if a man had legal rights over it but on an emotional, female perspective i think it would take a heartless woman to kill an unborn child who was legitamately wanted by the father, obviously if the father was a nice loving person who was prepared to take on such a resposibility in the face of that i could never terminate a pregnancy, however if i was with someone who beat me up regularly or was a druggy (you get my drift) i can totally understand why a woman would sacrifice their unborn child so not to bring them into it. but its a tough one. i personally cant imagine how hard it must be to go through a termination an although i dont think its wrong, i dont think i could ever do it. i've known too many women live to regret their decision to terminate a pregnancy.

i do think that it shouldnt be as easy as it is for a woman to have an abortion, they should have a degree of respect for the father and his opinions and maybe in certain cases courts could decide if a woman is alowed to terminate against the fathers wishes. there should be something in place to give men a say and maybe a chance to save their unborn child.

[Stonermom18]

Why should the father have sole responsibility of paying for it? The majority of single mothers (including ones that are with another man) are entitled to child support payments from the biological father even if he never wanted kids to begin with.

If a man has the right to insist on his child being born, then the child's mother should be made to pay child support.
Yes i agree intirly if mom did not want that baby with him SHE SHOULDNT HAVE OPENED HER LEGS!it is wrong to murder a child because you didnt want that responsibility, god has things happen for a reason. yes the father has every right to fight for his child, and mom shold deff pay up some child support!

[Dro_Princess]

Abortion is a very touchy subject for me. I have fertility issues and its possible I will never have a child of my own and it just kills me to know that some women take for granted to ability to conceive a child. I think that the father should be consulted if the woman wants to abort the baby. It is just as much his as it is hers. Of course you will hear some people say its the womans body so she can do with it what she wants but thats just unfair to the father. Im sure if he wanted the baby and he could he would carry it himself.

[GraziLovesMary]

Im sure if he wanted the baby and he could he would carry it himself.

I would.

[Ub3rB0ng]

im PROchoice, especially when it comes to idiots rape women. if ur just a dumb kid that gets knocked up and arent taking any responsibility I think they should make it so u cant have kids.

[GreenAlice]

Abortion isn't just a factor for an "Accident." There are some women out there who would like to have a child, try and to find out there are serious risks that would jeopardize the life and health of the mother, or the babies life sometimes even both. In those cases the Doctor would talk to the mother about her options and the risks involved.

Abortion isn't something that a woman just wakes up and decides to have as baby prevention, it's not fun or glamorous. It's a very rocky road. In clinics where abortions are preformed they give the women all the information on adoption and counseling . It's a very personal decision on what is going on in the woman's body, if the guy/husband/boyfriend has the means and wants to help raise the child I think that is good for the partner to be showing support and letting the woman know she will be supported in her decision to keep the child or not.

If a man had the final say on what happens to the womans body I think there will be a lot more wire hangers and backstreet abortions being preformed. If I am raped by a man and I become pregnant by him I feel he should have no say to what I do with my body, If my husband and I decide to have children one day and the Doctor says that the baby, myself or both have a high possibility of death if the pregnancy comes to terms I would like the final say.

I am pro-choice on a womens right to decide on the final say on such a difficult and emotional decision to terminate a pregnancy. I would rather have a woman whoever it be who decided to get an abortion after carefully reviewing all options have it in a safe and legal environment instead of either her trying to do one herself (which HAS happened with tragic results) or in some back street alley by a "Doctor."

Regardless of if it is a "mans" choice or not, if a woman becomes desperate or not regardless of the mans choice or I shudder to think the courts choice about the pregnancy there is a chance she might go to the extreme. Pregnancy is the womans choice, not everyone believes life begins as soon as conception. Abortion is stopping a process before it begins, the farther along you are the more dangerous and more emotional it is. We say "Abort Mission " etc, but that doesn't mean we're killing our troops.

The woman has to live with whatever decision she makes to keep or not, both with the physical and emotional requirements that come with childbirth or aborting a pregnancy. Every situation involving pregnancy is very different to each and every woman and should be treated as such, but ultimately it should be left to the woman to decide. I honor the men who support their partner should a circumstance like this arise but it is the woman who should decide, not the courts or men.

[Islandborn]

Im pro-choice....however I find abortion to be a disgusting, barbaric, procedure....but if the girl can live with herself, thats her choice. Choose wisely.

I suggest people go online right now and watch an abortion....one at 2 months and to ram home what exactly it is...one at 7 months where you can see the fetus try to fight off the giant needle sucking out its brain. Cause thats exactly what it is.

[RedLocks]

My children are as much mine as the Woman who bore them. When my 5 y/o was conceived someone tried to force the mother into aborting, and honestly, I wanted to die if it happened, and luckily it didn't.

I am pro life, although I will admit to think certain people in this world should be forcefully sterilized just so their genetic line doesn't continue..

[JackdaWack]

I believe in pro-choice, but the choice is not the mothers alone. I think a good lawyer could throw it either way honestly. This is one of those things that will probably never be set right due to selfishness.

[HannahAbbot]

I don't have a problem with abortion as long as it is done before the pregnancy progresses beyond a certain point. A lot of the problem with this is debate over that certain point. I am not one of those people that believes that LIFE is magically imbued as soon as sperm hits egg. In my opinion, the fetus is merely flesh, the same as any organ in your body, until the electrical impulses begin in it's brain. It is impossible in my opinion to view anything as 'living' until you have that criteria. There is TIME in this whole process of creating a child. It's not just a candy magical moment of an instant HUMAN BEING!

I believe the father should have a say but at the same time pregnancy and giving birth is no small matter at all. It's very stressful on the body and not for just a short period of time, for 9 whole months and then you have to actually birth it. If a man ever had to truly consider what it's like to carry a child and give birth he would not ever think he had the right to 'demand' a woman do so, no matter who's child it is.

And I'm not just saying this as someone who has never experienced anything similar. My brother went through this with his girlfriend. I know it broke his heart but he would never have dreamed to have the right to demand she have the child.

Abortion will never be easy, I think most women's instinct is too strong for that. But we live in an age where we can survive on reason, as well as instinct, and must find the balance in it. Each person must find that balance in themselves. (And make their own decisions without the government making them for them.)