Ok, here's a topic to debate over. You hear both sides saying whether or not a WOMAN should be able to choose to have an abortion or not. What happened to the father? I'm sure there are many cases where the father is not there for whatever reason (rape, abandonment, etc.), but when the father is there, do you think he should have an equal say?

I say that of course he should, because while it is the woman that has to carry and give birth to the child, after that he shares the the full responsibility of caring and providing for the child. It is a choice that will affect his life just as much as the mother's, so I don't get when I read or hear someone say "you are a man, you have no right to an opinion on the matter."

I sure as hell do!

How do you intend to settle the issue when the mother and father disagree?

Tie goes to the woman.
Possession is 9/10ths of the law, right?

Seriously, of course the man should have a say.
But there is (and should be) no legal way for the man to contradict the woman's decision, and force her to either abort or give birth.

Damn right. But honestly, if the guy had that much at stake, he should have watched where he dipped his wick. Looking at the statistics, most abortions are younger single women. I question just how many men would actually protest these women having an abortion in those cases. And even if he DID question it, again, he should have regarded his reproductive partner a little more selectively.

IMHO abortion and the statistics of those that get them, reduce some women to little more than a penis pocket.

the father is often not present as mentioned before, so this issue is moot in those instances.

like many issues, the individual variations of each situation mean that any one size fits all approach is going to fail frequently. better to judge each case on its own than have any universal policy or rule defining who has a stake in the decision. begin with an assumption that the future parents have an equal say but you need to be flexible in response to each situation. this is how it is generally done anyway.

like abortion is not a political issue.

i am saying that the way it is done currently is a good way. that is, make decisions case by case.

Here's some thoughts:

Women should stop spreading their legs to every John Thomas that happens about.

Women should take an extra responsibilty to use birth control techniques. After all, THEY are the ones who get pregnant.

Finally, most fathers of babies of women who wish to abort don't give a rip shit and would rather not have the burden of child support for the next 18+ years.