Abortion is a topic that is rarely ever easy to talk about. The law says that the choice to have an abortion is between the woman and her body, however I am claiming that this is not fair or true. There is clearly another person that should be involved in making the decision to have an abortion and that person is the father. The father is just as responsible for the conception of any child and is equally a part of the child as the mother is therefore he should have the right to legally have a say in whether or not his child will be aborted. I think especially with this topic that men's feelings are completely disregarded which is partly due to the fact that society says men are supposed to be tough and never show signs of weakness. The point is that in abortion the father is losing the same child that the mother is and should have the same rights as the mother regarding abortion.

One of the most influential decisions made by the Supreme Court was that of Roe versus Wade in 1973. This is a case that most people are familiar with because it is the case that changed the legality of abortion largely in part to the Fourteenth Amendment. The Fourteenth Amendment is the right of privacy, so it was decided that the decision to have an abortion is a private matter between the mother and her body. The general regulations that came about from this case  allow abortions in the first trimester, allows for some regulation to abortion in the second trimester, and bans abortion after six months. Roe was a single woman who was seeking an abortion, so no where in this case does it speak of the father's rights.  Even just reading about this topic the father is rarely ever mentioned. It is impossible to conceive a child without a woman and a man so it is strange that the man is left out of the conversation more then he is part of it. Once a child is born he is not considered more the mother's child than the father's, he is equally their child and responsibly.

After doing research on the role that men play in the decision of abortions I found that when asked why they had an abortion many women respond in some way that involves the father of the child. Many women say that they felt pressured because they did not think the father wanted to the child, they felt trapped because the father left and the only answer was to not have the child, it was not the right time because the father could not provide for a larger family, etc.  Fathers seem to always be at least in some way part of the decision in a personal sense. However, even though these fathers are greatly impacting the mothers' decisions they do not have any legal rights in the matter. Why is it that women take the father's opinion into such great consideration yet legally they are given no voice?
In 1987 the Alan Guttmacher Institute at U.S. abortion facilities conducted a study asking women why they had abortions and this is what they found, "23% said their husband or partner wanted her to have an abortion, 68% said they could not afford a baby now, and 51% said they had problems with a relationship or wanted to avoid single parenthood" (Strahan 196). All of these reasons have to do with issues with the father, even the 68% that said it was a monetary issue, if the father was there or working they would most likely have enough money. I understand that there are situations where the father is not at all concerned as to what happens to the unborn child but in many cases they are. Because men are influencing the decisions, not legally, but in the home they should be given legal rights for it is not a situation between only the mother and her body when the father is clearly as influential as being shown.

One of the most interesting things that I came across while researching was Dr. Keith Ablows article that spoke specifically and solely on the notion that fathers should have the right to veto the abortion of their child if they make a credible claim that they are the father of the developing child, that he could be a proper custodian of the child, and that he is wiling to take full custody of the child once it is born. And under these circumstances he went on to say that, "the pregnant woman involved should not have the option to abort and should be civilly liable, and possibly criminally liable, for psychological suffering and wrongful death should she proceed to do so" (Dr. Keith Ablow). I believe that fighting for the fathers' rights is such a politically incorrect idea because of the lack of women's' rights in history. People seem to be scared to say anything about this in fear of be accused of trying taking away women's rights when by doing this we are taking away the father's rights. Not allowing men to be able to veto the abortion of their child is taking advantage of a man's reproductive ability. By this is mean that men are crucial into the creation of new life however once this new life is conceived the mother has full control over whether or not the child will be born. If the mother decides to carry the child to term then she also has the power to make sure the father will be present in the child's life in some form or another. In this process of conceiving and birthing a child the father is picked and chosen when he will need to be present. The mother and father are both present at conception, then the mother makes the decision to keep the child or not, and based on that decision then the father's life changes based on what the mother chooses. We cannot as Dr. Ablow says "be giving men the clear message that bringing new lives to the planet is the exclusive domain, and under the exclusive control, of women". 

Not only are men being gipped of their legal rights but also they are not being considered as far as their emotional and psychological status. To think that the father is not being affected just a greatly as the mother after an abortion has taken place is naive. The father is losing the same child as the mother is and often falls into depression. In most instances we do not ask fathers how they are feeling prior or post abortion while the mother receives an excess of concern, support and guidance. It is important to realize that the fathers of the aborted children often feel an even larger sense of responsibility for what has happened to their child. Because they have no legal rights many men say that they feel a sense of helplessness and weakness by not being able to stop it. This often leads to the fathers becoming isolated from their partners or future partners, falling into depression, experiencing post traumatic stress disorder and more. I think the feelings and emotions of men should be taken into greater consideration post abortion.

A personal testimony website is available for men and women to write about and share their stories of abortion. One of the stories that I read was from a man named Jim from Rhode Island.  He spoke about how it took him years later after the abortion to come to terms about what happened, he talks about the pain and grief he feels knowing that he could not save his child. He says, " Abortion leaves a deep emotional wound on a father. The Pain is sometimes overwhelming. There is shame, guilt, self-loathing, hopelessness"(Jim). His personal testimony is just one of many that I read about, each story has a common theme of feeling helpless in the decision. While some men feel that it is not their place to tell the woman which choice to make, they end up regretting their silence. I think giving men the courage and support to stand up for themselves and their children will help reduce the number of abortions in general. If fathers are given the opportunity to take control and have a say in stopping an abortion then more fathers would be willing to speak up.

Father's should be given legal rights to the lives of their unborn children. Even though he does not carry the child himself the way that the mother does he is still very much a part of the child. Saying that men should be able to veto the abortion of their child is a request that many people will fight but I think it will lead to less abortions and give men the sense that they are more than just baby makers. It will encourage responsibility and change the way people think about abortions. It also gives mothers who are not ready to be parents an alternative solution to abortion or adoption. Men should be given this right because it not only promotes fatherhood, responsibility, and compromise but also life.
