Fathers Should Have a Say in Abortion

>>fathers are no more than sperm donors? Fathers are fathers. But, yes, when it comes to forcing a women to have an abortion or to give birth fathers are as moot a point as sperm donors. The guy you had sex with two weeks ago has about as much authority to make medical decisions for you as your butcher. You can't force somebody to make intimate personal decisions about their bodies. All pregnancy are dangers to the mother's health. They all carry a pronounced risk that is absent if they choose to abort. The question isn't whether or not she can prove a risk, but how many women do you want to kill at the behest of other people? >>The father should have a say in abortion because it's his child too. No one contests a mother who wants to have her child. The mother doesn't get to choose to carry the child to term because she's the mother. She gets to carry the child to term because it's her womb, her risks, and her body. >>I'm fighting for my child because it's my son or daughter the mother is talking about aborting. I feel for your situation and figure it's bleeding into what is otherwise a reasonable debate. And certainly there seems to be gross inequality but in reality, there's not. You can't force a women to carry a child to term against her will, regardless who provided some DNA to it, anymore than you could force women to be surrogates because you have some embryos left over. >>If the mother slips off and gets an illegal abortion then that was her choice So why would she need consent from the person who impregnated her. The fact you're arguing is that it isn't her choice. That she isn't allowed to make such a choice. >>and she should be held liable to the father. For what? Children aren't worth money. Is the father going to sue for all the child support he'll never have to pay? >>Never in a million years would I have thought that a father wanting to take responsibility for his child be considered villainy. This idea makes me very sad. The problem is the approach your looking at the situation from is critically flawed. THERE'S NO CHILD! Your entire argument is predicated on being a responsible man demands women be turned into forced birthers. Certainly if you want to frame it being a stand up guy, but if you scratch the surface, you quickly realize it's a completely vile suggestion. >>The point I'm making is that fathers should be granted some say and some recourse in the decision of whether or not to abort. I'm not saying that the father's wishes are absolute and should always be honored. I'm saying he should have a voice that is protected by law. Without any absolute rights, there are no rights. Men should have some kind of power. They should be able to do something. It isn't their body. You have no rights to other people's body, even if their choices within their rights affect your life. There's no wiggle room there, you either violate people's rights or you don't. >>However, my opponent's disregard for fathers is so typical of how we view men and their relationships with their children. Fathers should love their children. They should be the best dads they can be. They should provide and help (mothers should do the same) and do everything in their powers to make their children happy, healthy and safe. The difference however, is there aren't any children. An embryo isn't a baby, it has no personhood. Women, however, are people. >>I'd be furious and devastated. I can't believe that any humane society wouldn't grant me some kind of recourse. The problem is that in any humane society there can be no recourse. Anything recourse would trample the woman's right to make choices about her body. This is completely unacceptable. While a woman is pregnant (and when she's not) her body is hers to do what she will with it. We cannot consider ourselves a humane society and budge on this point at all. The best interests of children demands that those who should be responsible for the child, must be responsible. So, sadly enough, there's no room in a humane society forced births at the behest of men.