Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!aero-c!nadel
From: dst@dst.boltz.cs.cmu.edu (Dave Touretzky)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: birth control failure?
Keywords: feminism,men's rights,parenthood,choice,children
Message-ID: <1991Jun13.152031.11357@aero.org>
Date: 11 Jun 91 06:36:31 GMT
References: <675716623@lear.cs.duke.edu> <1991Jun3.225158.2825@milton.u.washington.edu> <676071224@lime.cs.duke.edu> <9106062203.1796@mydog.UUCP>
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In article <9106062203.1796@mydog.UUCP>, Gordon Fitch writes:

> I may have missed something, but everyone in this discussion
> seems to be forgetting that the claim against the father comes
> not from the mother but from the child.  Hillel, and usually his
> antagonists as well, persist in avoiding this point so they can
> get on with the war between the sexes.  This has been true in
> previous incarnations of this discussion, too.  Nevertheless, it
> remains the central issue.

There is no "child" when a woman gets pregnant.  There is only a fetus.  The
process of going from fetus to human child is long (9 months), painful (for
the mother), expensive (prenatal care, birthing services, etc.), and
somewhat dangerous medically (first trimester abortion is safer.)
The man does not create the child by getting the woman pregnant; he merely
supplies one necessary ingredient for her pregnancy.  The woman may choose
to create a child, but she cannot endow that child with economic claims
on its genetic father if parenthoold was forced upon the man by her
unilateral decision.

I believe that since the physical risks of pregnancy are borne solely by the
woman, and the decision to abort or continue a pregnancy is solely up to the
woman, then the responsibility for contraception should also be solely the
woman's.  Men who want to be nice guys can help out by wearing a condom or
reminding their girlfriend to take her pill every day or whatever, but that
is optional behavior.  Since modern women don't want to be viewed as frail
little baby factories who have to be specially protected by a ruling
patriarchy, but prefer to be treated as responsible adults, they should
stand up and take their medicine like an adult.  If they want sole control
of their reproductive equipment, then they must accept sole responsibility
for its use.

................

Let me make an analogy.  Suppose a female friend and I decide to take a road
trip.  The trip is her idea, and she buys the road map and plans the route,
but we take my car and I do the driving.  I have an accident and injure
someone in another vehicle.  Do my friend and I both get sued?  Of course
not!  Since I owned the car and solely controlled its use, I am solely
responsible for what happened.  My friend agreed in advance merely to go on
the trip; she didn't agree to be a defendant in a civil suit resulting from
any car accident that takes place.

The same thing applies to pregnancy.  If I got to bed with a woman, I'm
agreeing to share sex.  I am not agreeing to accept legal/financial
responsibility for the result of HER decisions about whether to abort or
proceed with HER pregnancy.

-- Dave