Vasectomies: The only choice left for men?

http://mensnewsdaily.com/2008/09/19/...-left-for-men/

Vasectomies: The only choice left for men?
Jeffery M. Leving

2008-09-19

More and more young, single and unmarried men are choosing a radical form of
birth control- vasectomies. According to the Centers for Disease Control &
Prevention, half of all pregnancies in the United States are unwanted. As a
man, there are traditionally two methods of birth control; condoms and
relying on a woman's word that she has reliable birth control. There are
clear drawbacks to both methods. Major pharmaceutical companies have
recently shelved near-ready male birth control pills and injections. They
cite "lack of interest" as their reasoning to cease the multi-billion dollar
investment, but that choice has left young men who do not yet want to face
the enormity of being a father dangerously turning to vasectomies.

Many media commentators, pro-women advocates and even legislators subscribe
to the ideology "if a man doesn't want to father a child, he should have
used birth control." The bias in that argument is very simple- couldn't you
say the same thing about women? Yet, if a woman gets pregnant, wanted or
not, she then has the option of aborting or keeping the child. She alone has
the decision, and should she decide to keep the child, the man has no choice
but to financially step forward and pay child support or face jail time.

One and a half million American women legally walk away from motherhood
every year by adoption, abortion or abandonment, yet somehow nobody labels
them "deadbeats" or "deserters". In over 40 states, a mother can return the
baby to the hospital within a few weeks of birth- completely opting out of
motherhood and any child support responsibility with as much ease as going
to the dry cleaners. Yet, if the mother decides she wants to keep the child,
she can demand 18 (or in some states 21 or 23) years of child support from
the father, and he has no choice in the matter.

Feminists have long based their support for Roe v. Wade around the slogan
"My body, My Choice." Yet, men who share in the responsibility of child
rearing and financial support have no choice, with their own bodies or
futures. Fatherhood is not a right or a privilege that they can opt into
when they feel ready. It is instead something that is thrust upon them,
partly due to a lack of choice in their options of birth control.

Research shows that many men are unwillingly drafted into fatherhood. The
National Scruples and Lies Survey of 2004 conducted in the United Kingdom
found that 42% of the women in the survey said they would lie about
contraception in order to get pregnant, regardless of the wishes of their
partner.

Experts, politicians and pro-choice advocates claim that the current system
is necessary because it protects children. In reality, over time, choice for
men would greatly benefit American children. If men had the same birth
control options that women have, then the number of unwed births (and the
huge social problems associated with them) would be reduced. Choice for men
means better parenting for children because more men will be able to become
fathers when they are married, willing, and stable- a huge benefit for
children and society as a whole.

Women's advocates correctly note that pregnant women often have legitimate
reasons for not wanting to be mothers, including youth, finances and the
lack of a suitable relationship or marriage. Yet, all of these apply equally
to men. Women have a choice- men should, too.

Jeffery M. Leving

Jeffery M. Leving is one of America's most prominent family law attorneys
and founder of www.dadsrights.com. He is the author of "Fathers' Rights" and
the Chairman of the Illinois Council on Responsible Fatherhood.