October 27, 2023
Abortion Care—for MEN??
Recently USA Today published what might be one of the most infuriating, offensive, dumbest, anti-woman, anti-man, anti-baby, article that I have ever read—and that’s saying a lot.
WARNING: This link will lead to an article that may very well leave you steaming mad, too.
We tried to submit a letter to the editor, but it is perpetually full. So now let me tell you what I really think.
Unsupportive partners coercing women into abortion is nothing new, but referring to “abortion care” for men is beyond the pale.
No man has ever suffered undergoing a surgical or chemical abortion.
University of Utah Associate Professor Bethany Everett cites male partners who don’t want to become parents or have another child, “also benefit from abortion access.” Really??
As Feminists for Life, we do not accept the premise that a child will “derail a career.” We refuse to choose between sacrificing our education and career plans—and sacrificing our children. For decades, we have fought for the support that pregnant women, parents, and birthmothers need and deserve on campus and in the workplace.
Then there is this comment by Andréa Becker, a medical sociologist and postdoctoral research fellow with the University of California San Francisco’s Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health program, who said, “people forget a sperm is involved.”
Seriously?? I don’t know any woman who has gotten pregnant who doesn’t know this. Most often, her first thought is “what will he think?”
The reality is that men have rights as well as responsibilities when it comes to the children they help create, even men suffering the Peter Pan syndrome who never grow up. They sadly rob themselves as well as mothers and children from a journey filled with love.
Fathers can make an incredible difference in the lives of their children as well as the mothers of their babies. We honor, value, and support good fathers. (Yes, we are the non-stereotypical feminists who like men, especially as feminists can be men, too!)
On the other hand, for irresponsible men who think it is acceptable to abandon a woman and her children, we require child support.
And since we successfully advocated passage of the Enhanced Child Support Act of 1995, we continue to teach both women and men that it is illegal for a man to coerce a woman into an abortion in order to escape paying child support. Noncustodial parents cannot evade this by jumping state lines.
We support new legislation that is intended to ensure that pregnant women can collect child support while pregnant, not just after the baby is born.
And for men seeking to take away her choice by violence including poisoning, I testified before the House Judiciary and they passed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, aka Laci and Connor Peterson Law.They can be prosecuted under federal or applicable state laws for murder of the unborn child as well as the mother if she does not survive.
As for the men who had no choice when she seeks an abortion, we cannot imagine how devastating this loss is to them. Our hearts ache for them.
So when we learned that Justin Timberlake ignored Britney Spears’ heartfelt sorrow after she accepted his lack of support and had the abortion rather than standing up for herself and her baby, we mourn for all three of them.
Because women deserve better,
Serrin M. Foster
President
P.S. If you or someone you know is suffering the aftermath of this form of reproductive loss, there is help. Please contact Rachel’s Vineyard, Project Rachel, or Support After Abortion. They help men as well as women recover from the aftermath of abortion.
P.P.S. This is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We know pregnant women living with abuse are at highest risk of maternal death. Please check out our Women Deserve Better helpsite articles or look for our next email. You can escape with the baby in the womb as well as born children.
