There’s Pro-Choice and Pro-Life, but What About Pro-Support?

WE ALL KNOW that there is a huge debate that has been going on since who knows when about whether abortion should be a viable and legal option for women. On one side of this big controversy, the general opinion is that pregnant women should be allowed to choose what they want to do when it comes to an unwanted pregnancy; this is called pro-choice. On the other side, the general opinion is that women should not have the option of abortion and that fetuses are under legal protection regardless of developmental stage; this is referred to as pro-life. While I understand the opinions of pro-life supporters, I do have one question: have any of the pro-lifers thought about the paternal aspect in this scenario?

What I mean by that is this… If someone who is pro-life thinks a woman should not be allowed by the government to abort her unborn child, does that then mean they want the father of this unborn child to be obligated to take care of the child as well? A lot of people believe that under no circumstance should a woman neglect to take care of her child both in and outside the womb. The alarming aspect about this is the fact that no one sheds light on the role and responsibility of fathers in this scenario. I believe fathers should be obligated to provide support to the child as much as the mother.

Today’s society has made it abnormally normal for men to neglect their paternal duties. No one really publicly argues how appalling it is for men to have the “right” to choose whether they want to be involved in the child’s life they helped create. There seems to be a strong double standard when it comes to this pro-life-pro-choice debate; there’s a heavy cloud of shame cast upon women who make the choice to abort a fetus. A lot of people call it murderous and inhumane, but do they ever stop to think about how disgraceful it is for men to consciously and effortlessly make the decision to leave the women to handle everything involving the baby?

Although it seems that everyone accepts men’s lack of support when it comes to caring for a child, it is a huge deal that no one really sheds light on it. I know more people who grew up without a father in their life than I know people with both parents. And before you deduce that it’s because of the demographics in which I grew up in, or whatever, hear me out… So many people grow up without their father because society has made it okay for men to feel comfortable with deciding to leave women to care for their children. While all these pro-life and pro-choice supporters were arguing about what rights the mother has related to her body and unborn child, they allowed men to become comfortable and establish this unspoken option to not be there for their women and children.

I’m not saying that this is true of all men, but I am saying that society should stop allowing men to easily abandon their responsibilities.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about one third of all American children are growing up without their biological fathers.