Kenya N. Rahmaan A leak from the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) may determine if the law of the land will face a repeal of a woman’s right to abortion. The threat is that the SCOTUS may overturn the groundbreaking case of Roe v. Wade (1973), which according to Planned Parenthood, legalized abortion in the United States. Unsurprisingly, the canary has stirred feelings among people already shaken by the topic of terminating a pregnancy or banning the right for a woman to do so if she chooses. On one side are pro-lifers diligently supporting the right to life and the overturning of Roe. On the other hand, pro-choice advocates vehemently oppose legislators deciding on a woman’s right to choose whether they are ready to become a parent. Excluding situations where a woman is a survivor of sexual assault, including incest, when her health or life is in jeopardy, or if there are life-threatening problems with the fetus, there are other reasons that women decide against parenthood through abortion. According to Sophia Chae, Sheila Desai, Marjorie Crowell, and Bilda Sedgh (2018), US data from 2008 to 2010 showed that the top three motivations for seeking an abortion were:
women not being financially prepared,
not being the right time for a baby,
and having partner-related concerns.
The reasons are just when considering motherhood or not. But, we somehow do not apply the exact reasons for a man to ‘opt out’ of parenthood if he faces an unwanted pregnancy. It is taboo for men to mention that he doesn’t want to be a father in an unplanned pregnancy situation. If he does, society attacks him in most cases and acts as if women do not have the right to choose parenthood. Even if Roe remains the law of the land, we must consider that women seeking abortions to forgo parenthood are almost identical to reasons that men provide when they want parental responsibilities severed when an unplanned pregnancy happens. https://bit.ly/3LErg1I Financial preparedness is the top reason that women provide when seeking an abortion. And with good reason. Raising children is expensive in the US. The latest calculation by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated the cost of raising one child at $233,610, excluding higher education expenses. Advocates for abortion rights argue that women, often low-income, are better off birthing a child destined to live in poverty.
Source: US Department of Agriculture
The concerns are warranted, considering that many women seeking abortion are already experiencing economic hardship (University of California San Francisco, 2020). But when thinking of fathers who owe the most child support debt, financial hardship is a shared problem with both genders. According to Nan Marie Astone, Andrew Karoas, and Allison Stolte (2016), the fathers of children with low-income mothers are usually low-income men who cannot afford child support. Although unpopular, the conversation must be had about allowing a woman to end a pregnancy based on potential financial hardship and completely ignoring that their sexual partners are, more than likely, struggling financially as well. For example, the Turnaway Study found that six months after being denied an abortion, women had more than three times greater unemployment odds than women who could access an abortion. With that statistic in mind, contemplate the possible unemployment rates for men forced into fatherhood when unprepared. Unemployment is just one characteristic that afflicts an unprepared or, better yet, unwilling new father when already struggling financially. Common traits among these men are low-income employment, poor work history, and low literacy levels (Dana Reichert). These issues would cause a stressful future for an unexpectant father, just as they do to unexpectant mothers. Unfortunately, when the right to parenthood is discussed, only the financial hardships for the woman are considered.
Source: Boulorn Law Firm
Men do not warrant thought of their status, financially or otherwise, in the parenthood decision. The most common and redundant reply to demands for the right to parenthood is for him to keep “it” in his pants. Women and abortion advocates frequently mention that becoming a mother at a financially inopportune time can extinguish future career options. It is disheartening to know that in 2022 that a man’s right have a successful future in a career of his choice is not a priority. After all, it takes two to tango, as many pro-choice stompers love to announce as if the right to choose parenthood is reserved for half of the pair. But that’s the reality. The choice does land on the shoulders of the woman, and the man’s options are nonexistent except for the two favorites, which are abstinence or shut up and pay up. Men are silenced in the choice of abortion, adoption, motherhood, and even when a mother chooses to leave the baby at a safe haven. https://youtu.be/hDr3ImDc4oI And with the possibility of the SCOTUS overturning Roe, there’s no better time to talk about men being relieved of all financial responsibility for babies born under unplanned circumstances. Since so many have given so much attention to a woman’s current and future financial positioning as a defense to the right to choose parenthood, the justices must afford men that same consideration. The officials must consider both parties equally, especially since the Equal Rights Amendment is supposed to bar differential treatment towards any US citizen based on their sex. If the US is going to outlaw the right for a woman to choose abortion over motherhood, the legislators are saying that consent to sex IS consent to parenthood. That same premise applies to the men who are essentially being forced into fatherhood by the government. On the other hand, if Roe remains the law of the land, women will still have the right to choose while men remain stuck with the same three options. It is easy to tell men to abstain or undergo surgical birth control when they have the right to choose argument. However, those responses are aged and should be prohibited from the discussion. The government must stop forcing men to pay child support for babies when they do not consent to parenthood. It takes two to make a baby, and both should have equal rights in choosing parenthood. References:
