In light of recent events on the UW campus, with the pro-life march taking place last week, the Martian Luther King Jr. Days of Dialogue (MLK DOD) focusing on equal rights and the pro-life booth in the Union yesterday, I figured I would discuss the topic of abortion. I know what you’re thinking, not another person talking about abortion! “You’re wasting your time! You’re not going to sway anyone on the issue!” My response to that is, “I don’t really care, just give me a chance.” First, let me say to you that this will not be a typical opinion on abortion. I will come out and say it, I don’t believe that abortion should be legal, with that being said, it has been shown that time and time again that certain governments view it as a woman’s right to choose and that there is no interfering with that right.
If we are going to get high and mighty and focus on rights, then rights should be the same for all (or at least almost all). I’m here today to tell you that I think that a man deserves a say in what happens with a child that he assisted in conceiving. I believe that if a couple unintentionally gets pregnant, then they should decide together on what the future of that baby is. If the father isn’t in the picture, that’s a different story. If the father is in the story, then I believe this should apply.
Constantly we talk about individual civil rights and how they are of the utmost importance to people. I agree with that fact, but the current black and white debate over abortion is getting us nowhere. We have been stuck at these crossroads for far too long. Because of this focus on the violation of rights, the debate has become “yes” or “no” and has pretty much ignored the rights of the man. While it isn’t the body of the man that is being affected by the pregnancy, the man is not immune to feeling the psychological and emotional effects. Believe it or not, that baby is also half his. Now obviously I am not saying that a woman who was forced to have sex has to consult with the guy, but if the sex was consensual then there should be collaboration between the two. If I got a girl pregnant and she chose (not easily) to get an abortion without having a conversation with me first, I would be more than furious and I can only imagine the other emotions that would be running through my head. My anger would not be fully directed at the woman, but I would be mostly angry at the fact that there is no law that would be on my side. I would feel as though my rights were being violated, as I suppose some women feel when they are not legally allowed to get an abortion.
According to the Huffington Post, in Dec. 2014 a Missouri State Rep. Rick Brattin sponsored a bill that would make it necessary for a woman seeking an abortion to have written consent from the father. The bill is still being decided on. Of course, this bill is being attacked under the pretenses that it is tightening abortion regulations in Missouri. I understand that point because the bill does push in certain areas, but the focus of the bill is not to tighten abortion regulations, it is to make the male voice heard.
In an ideal world (my ideal world), abortion would be 100 percent illegal, but that’ll never happen. So let’s all make a compromise and each give up something we want for something else that we want. Abortion would be legal and men would get a voice.
If anyone would like to provide a response in negation of what I have said here today, I would be happy to read it and gain a better understanding. Thanks for enjoying this masterpiece of literary excellence.
