Reply #192: I think you have it exactly backwards [View All]

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

"If she chooses to have no responsibility" refers to the sex act. They are both responsible for what they did. She can choose to bear no such responsibility for that action, he can not

I am operating on memory of what I have read in health policy papers and in helping my ex edit her dissertation (she is an obgyn who also has a masters' degree in public health)

More often than not the SOLE responsibility for birth control lies with the woman due to the male's refusal to wear condoms or get a vasectomy. In fact, although the risk of aids is FAR greater to the receiver of fluids than to the giver, the choice was made in drafting public health materials to present the risk as EQUALLY great to both parties simply because it was clear if the risk was presented as being SOLELY greater to the receiver MEN WOULD NOT WEAR CONDOMS.

You are implying that a woman who gets pregnant has not responsibility and nothing cold be farther from the truth. Whether she chooses to carry the pregnancy full term or terminate it involves great responsibility and both can carry a medical risk. Neither is true for the male, biologically.

And whether the egg BECOMES a child is entirely a mater of the woman's choice. That was the original question, remember? If she chooses for it not to be a child it isn't. He has no such choice.

Since 4 out of 10 pregnancies spontaneously result in abortion, it isn't solely a woman's choice. Ever hear of a thing called miscarriage? Again, a medical phenomena which is NOT without risk of toxicity to the life of the woman. Beyond that, she CHOOSES whether to keep the egg which then becomes a fetus again carrying a risk every step of the way..something a man DOES NOT have to deal with.

Understand that my real position is that BOTH of them should bear responsibility. If you don't want to pay for a child you don't go sleeping around with people you don't intend to have a child with. But how well does that sell? Like many here I am personally firmly against abortion (just not necessarily from a political policy standpoint). Both people DO have a choice - before they get in bed.

My position is that it is fine with me if that is how you conduct your affairs. What you do with your life is your business. Imposing it on others and denying a woman her right to habeaus corpus is not on the bargaining block.