What tha....may be something was lost in the edit, but I think you missed the "afraid not" and "are to" and may be a "you are".

So your point is -- what? That women sometimes make false accusations of rape? Agreed, but what has that got to do with their right to decide whether they want to lug a growing foetus around inside of them for nine months and then suffer agonies expelling it, or have it surgically removed while it's too undeveloped to suffer pain? It doesn't matter how it GOT there, surely, if you don't want it there.

I'm not quite sure what the point of this opinion piece is, but I don't know that someone who is a vocal 'anti-feminist' is a person who I would got to for advice about rape, abortion, or politics. The war on women by the right-wing conservative Republicans of the USA is a lot more than ignorance by Akin and flaming by the majority of the media.

Oh, and most feminists were horrified by Whoopi Goldberg's comments about the Polanski rape case. Rape is rape. It is that simple.

"The war on women by the right-wing conservative Republicans of the USA is a lot more than ignorance by Akin and flaming by the majority of the media."

What a beat-up!

Raycom when did you stop beating your wife?

I have very mixed feelings about this article and the debate around the topic.

Firstly I am pro-choice, I don't like the idea of abortion but don't think that the evidence is there to make a case that the early stage fetus has an intrinsic value which outweighs other concerns. If the Christain God has a different view then he or she is quite welcome to demonstrate that concern by an end to all forms of natural early termination of pregnancies.

I do think that the rape argument is a side issue used to wedge the opponents of abortion.

The history of Joseph was written by people who regarded him as a hero, I doubt that the account is entirely unbiased. It may be true, it may be a lie and there is no way of telling at this distance. Perhaps not the best example of a false claim of rape except for a Christian audience.

I am a lot tired of how quickly the idea of choice disappears from the views of the most determined pro-choice advocates when it comes to choice for men. I've seen pro-choice feminists on this site claim that men's choice ended when they were part of the sex act, if they did not want the responsibility of a child they should have kept it in their pants. About as committed to choice as a lot of gay activists when the topic is pluralistic marriage.

R0bert

I am confused about the point of this article ?
Is the author pro-choice or pro-life?

I am of the opinion that, regardless of the circumstances of the conception, if a woman really does not want to go through with a pregnancy, then no-one, including the father, can force her to do so.

Yes, the father should have a say, and maybe he could change her mind, but ultimately, it is her who has to physically carry and birth the baby.

Neither politicians or religions should be involved in this very personal decision that some pregnant women feel they have to make.

Abortion should be a decision ONLY between the parents and their medical practitioners.
It is no one else's business...

Suseonline, I think that the author is strongly anti-abortion. I'm not personally convinced that anti-abortion is any more pro-life than pro-choice, a lot of the most fervent anti-abortion advocates are more inclined to support wars that others may find questionable and often are more likely to be in favour of capital punishment than most (I don't know the authors position on either of those points BTW).

Not sure if you were referring to my comments when you say "Yes, the father should have a say, and maybe he could change her mind, but ultimately, it is her who has to physically carry and birth the baby."

To make it clear I don't think that the father should be able to force or prohibit an abortion, rather in all other aspects the father should have the same degree of choice as the mother - mostly around the preference of many to demand that the father pay and pay and pay for the upkeep of a child which they have no say in the decisions on other than the initial act. At any point where a mother is able to absolve herself of future responsibility for the child (or foetus) the father should have the same options.

R0bert

RObert <"...in all other aspects the father should have the same degree of choice as the mother - mostly around the preference of many to demand that the father pay and pay and pay for the upkeep of a child which they have no say in the decisions on other than the initial act. "

I actually agree with you here in some circumstances RObert.
I believe that if a father has no interest at all in his child, and never sees the child, then that child is better off not having anything to do with him, including any money that needs to be dragged out of him for the child's upkeep.

I also believe that all those men who are upset that they have impregnated a woman and then upset at being asked to contribute to their child's upkeep, could at least have worn condoms during the initial act if they were really against fatherhood!

Ranting and raving about women 'tricking them' into fatherhood by saying they are using contraceptives should not be an issue. If men REALLY don't want to deal with fatherhood, then they should always wear a condom.

If the condoms break 'accidentally' then both participants knew the risks and should pay equally for either an abortion or for the upkeep of a child.
In a perfect world of course...

It is ironic that the political bias of many of the respondents here is making it difficult for them to catch the point of this article.

The point? That the media is biased against conservatives in discussions of sexual politics. Prime example: the intensity of media responses to gaffes about rape hinged on the political viewpoint of the offender. If you are conservative and pro-life you will be hounded mercilessly (e.g. Akin). If you are "pro-choice" you will be excused readily (Whoopi Goldberg).

If you are a Democrat President accused of rape and other forms of sexual misconduct there will outrage that you can be accused of such a thing and you will be canonised by the liberal media.