Abortion: the Powerless Men and the Effect on Society

Nedelina Markova
Writing 121

Abortion: The Powerless Men and The Effect on Society

“Taking power away from men is a dangerous thing. Someone always pays.” - Glenn Close. The mother sometimes overpowers the father when it comes down to the decision of abortion. Some men don’t have the right to give their consent before the fetus they participated in conceiving is aborted. It’s important for society to understand that stripping away reproductive rights from men, when deciding on an abortion, can promote irresponsibility in men. If men have no voice when it comes to abortion, does that mean that they have no responsibility for the pregnancies they helped create? And what effect has this had on the American family?
In his book, “Redeeming a Father’s Heart”, attorney David Wemhoff asserts that “The excitement, or the sense of shock, and other emotions that come about with the realization of pregnancy can be felt by both the mom and the dad.” “Every parent has the duty to provide his or her children with the basic necessities of life, including food, clothing, shelter, and necessary medical care. To do otherwise is child abuse.”(6 reason Why Men Can Speak on Abortion) The common denominator is equality; equality in creation, equality in emotion, equality in responsibility, and equality in care.
However, abortions are the sole power of women, granted to them by the decision in Roe v. Wade, releasing men from all the responsibility of the fetus until it is born. This decision usurped men of their right to consent and the opportunity to be a parent while simultaneously preventing them from pressuring a woman into an abortion.
In his book, “The Father’s Role: Cross Cultural Perspective”, Professor Michael E. Lamb of Cambridge University, argues that “Much of the time involved in being a responsible parent does not involve direct interaction with the child.” For example, a responsible parent will provide a safe home, financial stability, and a stress free environment for the child. So why, when it comes to abortion, the interaction with the fetus is all that matters? The fact that men can’t feel or touch a fetus somehow strips them of their rights over it. And suddenly after nine months, men’s responsibilities are equal to those of the woman, why the delay? When a man is released of all responsibilities in the beginning, he may think he has no responsibilities whatsoever.
In a sexual intercourse where there are no contraceptives involved, the man is traditionally responsible for preventing the pregnancy by wearing a condom. However, with men having no say in abortion it automatically becomes “The woman’s problem” again discharging men of all responsibilities. According to the Radiance Foundation (NPLA Spousal Consent for Abortion):
The abortion industry has created a culture of abandonment. Responsibility has become someone else’s concern, and death the solution to this serious character flaw. Men have been empowered by Roe v. Wade to abandon their primary responsibility–protecting. They’ve either chosen to run away from their role or have been forced out by a brand of liberal feminism that spews gender animus in an effort to elevate women. The man is therefore torn between his innate drive to procreate and protect, and society’s stance that this is not a natural drive, but a choice he is not allowed to choose. “Having already violated his nature by asking or allowing a woman to have an act of violence killing his child, he feels less restraint at inflicting violence on her or others. Rates of domestic violence and child abuse have risen since the legalization or decriminalization of abortion.”(Mattes) A man has no reproductive rights, but he has the entire financial and legal obligation to support the woman’s reproductive choice. The American man is therefore faced with an overwhelmingly difficult decision as he enters adulthood. His instinctive drive to procreate has been homogenized by the woman's right to protect her own body. A subtle emasculation has crept into his manhood: he may not interfere, nor may he even voice his protest. The choice of a potential mate then hinges on several key questions, similar to a job interview. Does the woman want children? Will she allow him to assist in the decision making process when it comes to a family? And can he accept the decisions she makes, thereby giving up his traditional role as head of the relationship? Some view this as an evolution of the American male, praising his open-mindedness. But others, on the basis of empirical statistics, see this as a cancer, eating away at the foundation of the bedrock of America, the family unit. Taking men out of the reproduction equation eventually leads to a society in which single motherhood is acceptable. According to the United States Census Bureau, the number of single parent households increased by 10 percent from 1980 to 2008, and the births to unmarried women went up from 18.4 percent in 1980 to 40.6 percent by 2008. These statistics show a drastic increase in children raised by a single parent, causing an inevitable decay of the American family.

Allowing men the right to consent may or may not have an effect on changing how society views abortion, but there is a big possibility that it may change the way men view their responsibility in conception and being fathers. Whether a fetus has been aborted or not, it takes a man and a woman for conception in the first place and when there is responsibility there ought to be rights.

Works Cited

“6 Reasons Why Men Can Speak on Abortion.” Patheos. January 15, 2013.Web. Feb 5, 2013

Bradley Mattes. Losing a child by abortion. 2009. Web. February 5, 2013.

Lamb, Michael. “The Father’s Role: Cross Cultural Perspective.” New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1987. Print.

Marty, Robin. “NPLA "Spousal Consent for Abortion" Questionnaire Shows Up In North Dakota.” Rh Reality Check. October 26, 2012. Web. February 5, 2013.

Wemhoff, David. “Forgotten Fathers: Men Suffer After an Abortion, Too.” Redeeming a Father’s Heart. January 19, 2011. Web. February 5, 2013.