First, let me state that this contribution is not about a discussion of the question of abortion itself. That issue may be discussed later, or not at all. The question herein discussed is whether men have any right to air opinions on the issue of whether women should have abortions, and whether the exclusion of men’s voices by some radicals is appropriate.
Now, let me tell you a personal story from over thirty years ago. I was in an automobile, riding with a group of ladies from my church en route to a church activity. I was about seventeen years old and the four women in the car, Linda, Doris, Patricia, and Sandy, were all in their twenties and thirties. Somehow the group conversation evolved to a discussion of the question of what is the greatest possible source of human pain. All the ladies agreed that it was childbirth. Not toothaches as I might have thought, but childbirth. All the ladies agreed that the greatest pain a human could endure was childbirth, and I could not argue, because I had not endured childbirth as a seventeen year-old male. Later, I wondered, though, how could these ladies know –” since although all of them were married and of child-bearing age, none of them had ever borne a child!
Move fast forward to the present time. Visit the feminist pro-abortionists speaking out against pro-lifers (yes, they may call themselves pro-choice, but the choice that is most at issue is almost always the choice of ending the life of the unborn). Look at all the young college-aged women who are vehemently advocating for that choice! Look at the women from Mills College and Smith and from the barrios and ghettos, and from the workforce and the street and everywhere in between. Look at all the young women who never gave birth to a child, never had an abortion, or who may have never had sexual intercourse with a male (lesbians included), who vigorously fight for their choices and who turn a deaf ear to the views of males in this issue as being irrelevant.
Then, look at the young women who might get pregnant and decide to bear the child, even though they are not married. How many young men would prefer that their partner actually abort the fetus, only to be told that not only will the child be delivered, but that the male will be required to support the child financially for its life as a minor. We see women in such instances wanting to overrule and silence males who actually do have a vested interest in the issues involved.
My point in all of this discussion is NOT regarding the morality of the choices regarding birth. It is regarding the right of people to express their views and for their views to be taken seriously. Many women appear to want to silence men from expressing opinions on these matters, even though many of the same women who hold strong views base those views on philosophy rather than personal experience.
The old saying comes to mind, "What is good for the goose is good for the gander." Men have every right to express their philosophies on the morality of choices in society, even if women make those choices. The effects of childbirth choices by women affect all of society, including men, strangers, schools, communities, hospitals, budgets, etc.
Let’s not fall into the trap of stifling debate — let’s encourage open debate on societal issues. Those who want to stifle debate often do so because their arguments are weak, not because their arguments are strong.
