The fate of unborn children
resulting from unplanned pregnancies in our country is of vital importance to
both political parties. Our current laws which restrict a woman’s access to
safe and legal abortions were enacted, we are told, for the protection of those
unborn children.
If this is what you believe,
it must then follow that when an unplanned pregnancy occurs, the responsibility
for the child should be shared equally by both the mother and the father. Proponents of family values should be the first to
agree.
Anything short of that sends the message that
men are entitled to unlimited, carefree sex, but a woman should bear the burden
of an unplanned pregnancy for the rest of her life.
Rapid advancements in
affordable, available, and easy to use genetic testing make this possible. Paternity
can now be determined at 8 weeks with a sample of the mother’s blood, and a
swipe on the inside of the father’s cheek, meaning that a woman need never
again hear the dreaded yet common reaction, “How do I know it’s mine?” There
are currently laws on the books which can force a reluctant father to take the
test.
Once paternity has been
established, decisions about the child should be made by both parents. In the
event that neither parent wishes to or is capable of raising their baby, they
may agree to place it up for adoption. The father would be obligated to pay for
all medical expenses, including medications, testing, pre-natal exams and
transportation to and from, hospital bills and all compensation for the
mother’s loss of work due to the pregnancy.
The mother will carry the
child for nine months and give birth.
If one or both parents wants
to keep the child, this process should be handled in the same way as a child
custody contract between divorced parents. The father should be legally
obligated to share in the responsibilities and the future welfare of his child.
Custody, expenses, visitation, and all other responsibilities should be shared
as ability allows and as equally as possible.
A mother and her child need
to be entitled to the same protections under the law regardless of whether she
is married to the father or not.
We have it within our power
to demonstrate actual compassion for the unborn children we supposedly care so
much about. We can do this without raising taxes, and with the added benefit of
cutting “entitlement programs.”
Regardless of one’s religious
or personal beliefs, we should all be able to agree on that. Indeed, we need to
insist upon that.
