*Men and Women alike will no longer feel the pressure of having to conform to some stereotype image.*

That already applies now Foxy. Its just that some people are far
more concerned what others think, then other people. Some people
have a low self esteem, others a high self esteem for instance.

One day it will hit you that if you wear the green dress going down
the street, they will criticise and if you wear the red dress going
down the street, they will also criticise.

Eventually you get wise and stay "stuff em" and do what you think
is right and what makes you happy.

pelican, "How can we resolve these issues fairly and equitably"

I doubt that with current tecnhology and biological realities we can solve those issues fairly and equitably. At best we take steps to remove those inequities that we can remove.

From my perspective men who have had no say in the continuation of an unplanned preganancy (or may not have even known about it for years after) copping a bill from C$A seems very unfair. Especially so when the mother has a number of points where she can opt out of further responsibility.

Assuming that termination is an practical option and is common enough that the moral/ethical objections some hold are not widespread enough to be an overriding factor then I suggest the following.

The likely father be given the opportunity early enough during the pregnancy to determine if he wants to take on the role of father should the child be carried to term.

If the answer is no them at most his responsibility is a share of the costs of the termination if the mother does not wish to carry the child to term.

If the answer is yes then he shares the responsibility for raising the child with the time and financial obligations that implies as well as the joys of a child should the mother proceed.

The mother can make her choice regarding carry the foetus to term or termination knowing what the commitment of the father is.

Unless or until we find a viable way of bringing a foetus to term in a healthy state away from the mothers womb the final decision regarding carry the foetus to term or termination lies with the mother.

R0bert

Dear Yabby,

I can't say, "stuff 'em!" I wish I could, but it's not who I am.
The way that I was raised was to always consider other people.

But Foxy, in that case your problem is you and not the system.

Considering people whom you care about, or whose opinions you
respect, fair enough. But then, if there is a problem, you can
also sit down with those people and discuss the issue.

Other people, why worry? Go into any large organisation,
Govt, business, etc, they are full of bitchiness, backstabbing,
people jockeying for positions, fighting, arguing, etc. etc.

That is just people for you. They might be jealous of you,
you might make them feel insecure, whatever, they will rationalise
away things and try and put you down, to make themselves feel
better about themselves.

If you let it get to you, you are the one who suffers, nobody else.

Take note of the people whom you respect and you would respect them
for good reasons. The rest simply don't matter.

Dear Yabby,

Thank you for your insights.

My situation is a bit more complicated.

I don't want to derail this thread - nor bore you with the details .

Suffice to say that for me - it's still very much a learning experience as I travel along life's highway - the old cliche is so true... The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know.

But one good thing, life's never dull.

RObert your last line really says it all. But you are right sometimes the realities are not always 'fair' and we all do have different views at times on what constitutes 'fair'.

Foxy, a cliche' but very true nevertheless. I agree, we can always learn more and become better people.

The nice thing about being older is that there is less desire to be popular with people nor to have to agree for the sake of politeness or fear of being ostracised. In this Yabby you and I for once agree.

This does not mean we can temper that freedom with respect for others as well or in the way we might interact with others. Though recognising that none of us are perfect. :)