SEX AND PREGNANCY: RIGHTS OF THE FATHER ABOUT ABORTION
One issue that crops up from time to time is the question of the rights of the biological father when it comes to a decision about abortion. This is a difficult and emotive issue for anyone who finds themselves with an unplanned pregnancy, and many women think it’s better to avoid a confrontation altogether by acting on their decision without consulting the partner at all. This is particularly true of pregnancies that result from an extramarital affair or a relationship that is not likely to be longterm.
In other cases it depends very much on the relationship between the partners, and how much each person’s life is likely to change as a result of the decision. Far beyond the issue of who gets the morning sickness, the backache and the labor pains are the longer term questions: Who will have the responsibility for childcare? Who will cope with the reduced income? Who will have to compromise their career plans? As a rule of thumb, the right of each partner to make the decision will be reflected in the answers to these questions.
It’s not just your own contraceptive choices that force you to face your attitudes to sex. People say children grow up so fast that you turn around one day and they are adults, but it’s not until you witness your own child’s development at point-blank range that you realize the truth of this. The issue of a young person becoming sexually active can be a very confronting experience for a parent.
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