Bioethics in Faith and Practice, Volume 1, Number 1

Bioethics in Faith and Practice ⦁ 2015 ⦁ Volume 1 ⦁ Number 1 9 The Abortion Decision: What About Dad? Erica Graham Cedarville University Abortion has been debated publically ever since it became possible without seriously risking the woman’s life. Recently, this debate has shifted its focus to utilitarian concerns. Both sides argue either for or against abortion based on the benefits for and harms to the mother. 1 During the consideration of the physical and psychological effects of abortion, an important person has been neglected; the father. Fathers are greatly affected by abortion. In this paper I will argue that if we maintain current utilitarian arguments, then men should have an equal say in the decision to abort because these arguments apply not only to women but also to men. I will then discuss an appropriate response to this conclusion. One common argument for abortion is that it empowers women and makes them less helpless in reproductive decisions. This is true for women, but what is the current situation for men? Today’s system requires a man to pay child support if a child is born but gives him no legal say after conception as to whether or not he wants to be a father. However, women have the ability to choose to become a mother after conception occurs. This is inconsistent with men and women having “equal rights and duties;” a standard modern society desires to uphold. 2 Men do not currently have the same range of options that women have when an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy occurs. Our society essentially gives men the singular option of pleading with a pregnant woman to have an abortion if he does not desire to be a father. 3 Men “may feel that the woman holds his fate in her hands and can shape the rest of his life how she sees fit”. 4 If society does not give men an equal say, then they have rendered women all-powerful and men powerless. If women are able to decide after conception not to become mothers, then men should be able to decide not to become fathers after conception. When considering having an abortion, women don’t just want to end pregnancy, but also want to avoid becoming mothers. Some argue that becoming a mother negatively impacts women because it forces them into a role they may or may not desire to play. 5 Men and women share this motivation for abortion. “When a prospective father wishes that the prospective mother would abort, he does so because he does not want to become a father”. 6 Without a say in abortion decisions, men are essentially forced into fatherhood regardless of if they desire to become a father. Both women and men should be able to act on the desire to avoid parenthood. An equal right to “free our life of a certain kind of complication” should exist. 7 Men and women equally want to avoid what they see as the inconvenience of pregnancy and subsequent raising of a child. Men agree that any given person should have the autonomy to decide whether or not to have children. 8 Currently, women are the only parties with this right of choice. Many women chose abortion because they feel “that they do not have room in their life just then to be a mother”. 9 This lack of “room” can result from physical, social, or economic conditions. It is true that women have a greater physical investment in raising their child than men do, (pregnancy and breast feeding) but both men and women have economic obligations to their children. As stated above, men are Bioethics in Faith and Practice vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 9-12. ISSN 2374-1597 © 2015, Erica Graham, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ )