Choice

A quote of a quote from a live-journal that shall remain nameless out of respect for ginmar because, although I wish to comment on this, I don't want to garner this nameless user more attention.

“When a female determines she is pregnant, she has the freedom to decide if she has the maturity level to undertake the responsibilities of motherhood, if she is financially able to support a child, if she is at a place in her career to take the time to have a child, or if she has other concerns precluding her from carrying the child to term. After weighing her options, the female may choose abortion. Once she aborts the fetus, the female's interests in and obligations to the child are terminated. In stark contrast, the unwed father has no options. His responsibilities to the child begin at conception and can only be terminated with the female's decision to abort the fetus or with the mother's decision to give the child up for adoption. Thus, he must rely on the decisions of the female to determine his future. The putative father does not have the luxury, after the fact of conception, to decide that he is not ready for fatherhood. Unlike the female, he has no escape route”.

This was found in a commentary on "female privilege" which was quite, quite misguided. Most of the list and commentary actually appeared to be coming from a recently divorced man who maybe liked to beat on his now-ex-wife. Yeah. I love, also, how the quoted text above calls the woman a female, in the way a scientist studying animal behavior would, especially when she deigns not to become "humanized" by becoming a mother. Whereas the man is referred immediately as a father, and one which is to immediately also to be seen as a helpless victim.

What about the decision to... Hrm... not have procreative sex? Seriously. If this pregnancy occurs outside of a relationship that, between the two parties, has decided that if a pregnancy were to occur what they would do about that pregnancy (to welcome it or not) then it is indeed the woman's choice. Because outside of those circumstances, the man is making no promises, and the woman is not looking for any, of the joint responsibility of child rearing. Hence, therefore, the decision would be the woman's. Yes. That is me saying that if a man allows his sperm to leave his body into that of a woman without having provided a pregnancy-friendly agreement with said woman then he has no right to say what occurs to that sperm once it does leave his body. That includes her choosing to continue with said pregnancy and expecting help or refusing help - it is her choice.

Any arguments otherwise?