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Normally, I would say that a person has the right to do whatever they choose with their body. There are a few times in which I take a different position and abortion within a marriage is one of them. Barring such cases as incest, rape or abuse a married woman should be required to receive consent from her husband before aborting a child.

Every child, born or not-yet born has two parents. Aborting a child without the father's consent is no different than killing his infant son in his cradle or smothering his daughter with her pillow. Some women may raise the point that it's their body and they can do as they choose. If this were a case of getting a belly piercing or a new hair style I would agree. Aborting a child without spousal consent will irreparably damage the relationship forever.

The same case could be made for a newly married man getting a vasectomy without his wife's knowledge or consent. He will have effectively destroyed whatever hopes she had of a family and probably ruined his marriage. Once a man and woman make the decision to wed, their lives are bound to one another. This binding doesn't simply mean they share an apartment and split the bills. It doesn't simply add more people to the guest list for Thanksgiving either. This bond is a total commitment to each other, whether it's bills or babies.

There are some decisions that can be undone and forgivable. If I buy a new stereo without my wife's consent, it can always be returned. Haircuts can grow out, more money can be earned but you can't regrow a baby. Decisions with long-lasting or permanent results must be decided by both parties or the relationship will fail with disastrous results.

Learn more about this author, Mark Murphy.
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