Currently This

Disclaimer: The views about men in this entry are specific to men of a certain mindset, and are not all inclusive of men in general.

In one of the boytoy groups, there is a discussion about whether or not men have reproductive rights.  They feel that unless they are the ones to decide whether or not to abort, they have zero reproductive rights, it's State sanctioned, part of the mass misandric conspiracy and by the way, women are shit.

My response to this is simple, as it always is. Piffle.

For the sake of argument, let us assume that the couple in question are fairly new to one another. Perhaps a chance sexual encounter, or a new sexual relationship of short duration. You don't know this person very well. You wouldn't give them the keys to your car, the PIN number for your bankcard, or even hire them to paint your house on so short an acquaintance. Why trust them to take care of your reproductive future? 

Men have reproductive rights now. Right now, they have all the legal rights they could ever hope to want or need with regard to their reproductive lives. They have a right to decide not to have children. It's their birthright, a sacred gift and each man is born with it already in their sexual arsenal. It's called personal responsibility and it means that all a man need do to protect his reproductive rights is take charge of them himself and STOP asking women to do it for him. Stop assuming she is taking care of your reproductive future and tend to it yourself. 

I am a big advocate of both people using birth control. I believe in the fundamental right of each person to manage their own fertility, male and female. I have zero respect for women who find themselves pregnant and whine that the guy wouldn't use a rubber.   I have less respect for a man who chooses not to use a condom and then whines because he is now saddled with a child and support payments. Neither am I impressed or moved by people who say they had no choice, because their partner wouldn't sleep with them if they used b.c.  You still made a choice, didn't you? Your reproductive rights are assured by your personal choices. Choose to use birth control, and you're safe. Choose not to, and accept the consequences of that choice without whining, whatever those consequences turn out to be. 

The point I want to punch here is (in case I haven't been clear) you have a choice, at the moment of insertion. You control everything at that exact minute. If you choose not to use birth control, you lose, buddy, and stop whining. Don't tell me it wasn't your idea to have a baby. Yes, it was, when you stuck it in unprotected. There is now a child who needs to be taken care of whether you wanted it or not. You created it and you are as responsible for it's well being now as the woman should be (also an advocate that both parents should pay what they can to support, and neither should be saddled with more than they can pay based on gender or stereotype).

Now say, for the sake of argument, that both people used b.c. (or even one or both lied, etc) and a child is born anyway. Too bad, folks. There is another option, you know. You don't have to have sex. Celibacy is the only foolproof method of contraception and it is also a choice. Anything else opens you up to the possibility of pregnancy, even if you are conscientious about b.c. because nothing else is foolproof.

Ok.  So now we have a man who has chosen to have sex and thus accepted the possibility of pregnancy, and he wants to know why he does not have a right to force a woman to abort, or why he should have to pay support for a child he may not want.  Easy.  When you chose to have sex, you chose to accept the possibility of pregnancy.  NOW you want to renege and say 'sorry, changed my mind?'.  It doesn't work this way for a reason, folks.  If you men were able to change your minds later on, most kids would be on welfare.  As it is, according to the stats, the average amount of money collected in child support for 1997 was $3,600 and that only to 41 percent of those parents support was due.  That leaves 59% of the children out there not getting child support.  I have three kids.  It costs more than $3,600 a year to raise a child, people.

What if she wants to abort and you want to keep it?  Too bad, boys. You have zero right to decide whether or not a woman should or should not bear a child because it ain't your fucking body.  When you can carry a child, you will have a little more moral weight to claim you ought to have a say in it.  As long as the woman is the one whose body is in question, she alone will have the right to decide whether or not to bear children.  Remember, you had a chance to make your choice at the moment of insertion.  Anything that happens after that, you need to roll with it.

Ladies, this goes for you, too.  Don't leave the responsibility of birth control to your partner.  Take control of your own fertility and be as empowered as these guys want to keep you from being  ; )