Posted on 12/28/2003 2:53:00 PM PST by Z in Oregon
"Reproductive Rights" is one of those public issues where the inequality between the sexes is rarely discussed.
Reproductive rights does not exist as a legal concept for men, and men are regularly told that they have responsibilities and not rights. A man has no "reproductive rights" that a woman is bound to respect, whether in nor out of marriage, to keep the baby or not. The only right that men have is to keep their pants zipped up, as the course of their lives and their hope for posterity is entirely dependent on the woman's "choice".
I remember hearing a feminazi screeching about how vital "reproductive rights " were for all human beings, insofar as their ability to determine the course of their lives is concerned. It got me to wondering how it is that no comparable "reproductive right" exists for men other than the right to keep your trousers zipped up. A man's income can involuntarily be confiscated to care for children that he does not want, affecting the course of his life. Under the law, he is utterly responsible to support any children with his DNA, and often even for those without it. In many states, women are allowed to ABANDON newborn children that they do not want at hospitals or firehouses, no questions asked. Men don't even have any "reproductive rights" in marriage, because his wife retains her "reproductive rights" if she "chooses" to exercise them.
I don't think either sex should have these "reproductive rights", and should deal with the concequences of a pregnancy, wanted or not. But if as the feminazi says, these rights are vital to human beings, than I wish to suggest the following remedies. An unmarried man, upon being promptly notified of an unwanted pregnacy by his mate, should have the option of a paternal veto (abortion) absolving him of financial and legal responsibility for the child. A married man who discovers that his wife has had an abortion against his wishes should recieve presumptive grounds for a divorce or annullment of the marriage, with the same holding true for one who concieves against his wishes.
Than again maybe the feminazi thinks that men shouldn't qualify for "reproductive rights" since she probably thinks men aren't human anyway.
Men have the ultimate choice of who they marry- and to protect their unborn children by waiting until marriage. For a young man to look past "looks" and choose a woman of character as the mother of his children may not be easy, but it is the best way to protect those children.
What you say is true, but in the evolutionary scheme of things, human females basically do the marriage "choosing." (allowing for some cultural variations)
What I was mainly referring to was the ruthless manner in which men are held responsible UNDER THE LAW. They literally have NO "reproductive freedom" that is not subject to veto by the woman, EVEN IN MARRIAGE should the woman change a previously stated position to the contrary, for or against having children. If this society will not rid itself of the constitutionally and morally hideous Roe v Wade decision, than it should give men some sort of LEGAL remedy to address the "reproductive rights" imbalance.
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