by Robin Hussey

Created on: January 31, 2009   Last Updated: February 09, 2009

As the parent of two teenagers this idea is a horrific. Should my daughter find herself pregnant, and the man who found her to be desirable for sexual activity, however "opted out" of parenting their child she would be left with no resources to parent the child alone. My son has certainly not been raised to believe that men have so little responsibility for their actions.

I suppose this debate originates due to the mothers right to choose. There are several reasons why a mother retains this right and fathers do not. The first and foremost of these reasons is that a mother must endure the risks of pregnancy and delivery, men do not endure these risks. Secondly, a father who "opts out" of parenthood damages the child's opportunities and emotional well being for the rest of it's life. Lastly giving men this right would lead to more irresponsible behavior in regards to sexual activity and a generation of fatherless children.

An interesting debate given that women do still possess the right to choose to end a pregnancy. One could argue that men should retain the right to "opt out", however the women's right to choose is directly related to the fact that she has to endure the risks and physical cost of pregnancy. It is her body that will be hosting the child for 9 months. The father on the other hand does get to "opt out "of this experience. As I see it the father has already, by the facts of nature, opted out of the risks and natural consequences of pregnancy and delivery.

Giving father's another opportunity to "opt out" of parenthood would be damaging to the child and mother who will need his financial, and one would hope, emotional support for the next 20 years or so. We already have a plethora of single parent families struggling to survive in this country, Letting fathers off the hook so to speak would increase childhood poverty and further economic difficulties for the families who need this stability more than ever.

Men and women who choose to engage in sexual activity need to realize that the end result can always be pregnancy and they need to both be able to take responsibility for their actions. Giving fathers an "opt out" option would leave men virtually free to engage in sexual activity with anyone and never have to take responsibility for their actions. This would leave a generation of children fatherless, both financially and emotionally.

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