Forum: If women are forced to give birth, the father must pay

Published 1:30 am Saturday, July 30, 2022

By Antonia D. Clark / Herald Forum

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision overturning the Roe v. Wade abortion ruling shows an uncomfortable political bias that has destroyed the public’s respect for the Supreme Court. This lack of respect for the court also destroys an essential element of our democracy.

The majority’s decision appears to be an end in itself; it is not. The end result is a child who will need care for many years. What follows presents a different position to consider on abortion, although it would require a federal mandate to implement it and to enforce it, difficult to obtain on both counts. However, it would share the monetary burden of raising a child, now only the mother’s responsibility.

An abortion is an emotional and physical hardship on a woman; it is a hard decision and it is expensive, but for almost 50 years it has been a possible choice. Childbirth is a natural but sometimes fatal event for the mother and/or the child.

Some abortions are sought by couples, and the woman has both emotional and financial support from her partner. However, often the abortion is sought by single women, and may be the result of rape or incest; or a pregnancy can occur for a girl who has just reached puberty, which, as we have seen, can occur at any age after 10. The choice to have a child should be a fundamental right, not just for the women, but also for the sake of the economic, emotional, and stability of the nurturing of the family as a unit.

Abortions are safer than childbirth. The U.S. mortality rate for women during childbirth is the highest among all developed nations; in 2021 it was 17.4 fatalities per 100,000 pregnancies. Compare this to 0.6 fatalities per 100,000 women from legal, induced abortions. Where states make abortions illegal we will see their death rates soar, for women will again be forced to seek unsafe abortions. Women who need to abort a pregnancy will do it, safe or not, illegal in their state, or not; she should not have to die to have control of her body.

Some politicians, the majority of whom are Republican men, are the ones who, in the past, have legislated against abortion, sometimes sincerely claiming religious belief. However, most lie; they say they care for the unborn child but offer no support for the pregnant mother: no plan for pre-natal care, no funds for early childhood education, no support for after-school child care for working women.

They do not care about the children; they care only for the zygote, the fetus, the unborn baby. Once that baby is born they abandon it. They care nothing for the well-being of that child; their actions clearly demonstrate their desire is for power over women, and this is their means to do so. However, with power comes responsibility, so let the men be responsible. No female becomes pregnant alone; she has a partner, and the female knows who the father is.

If abortions are no longer an option the man may be willing to accept his responsibility once he has proof that he is the father. If he does not accept this responsibility he should be required, by federal law, to provide a DNA sample for testing. The easiest way is for men to provide a simple cheek swab. If the DNA proves to be a match, the father of the child should be held legally responsible for half of the monetary costs of: pre-natal care; of the woman’s birthing of the baby; and for the child’s maintenance and support until it is an adult (in most states this is age 18).

This monetary provision does not solve the issue of a woman’s right to control her own body, but it would provide some equalization in the care of the child. The largest group of persons on welfare is composed of single women with children; we, the taxpayers, provide basic subsistence for them. Child care is too costly for most single women, and it is impossible to hold a job and simultaneously care for babies and small children, so the mothers need this basic funding. Requiring the father to provide financial assistance for the child would ease the financial burden from the rest of us.

The woman should not be required to both bear an unwanted child and then be the only one responsible for its care. Laws regarding child maintenance are now controlled by the states. Women have taken the fathers to court to obtain child maintenance, but most women cannot afford to do so, and enforcement is difficult. Even if she offers the baby for adoption, the costs for pre-natal care and the birth should still be shared equally.

The full monetary responsibility for that baby, then child, must be equally distributed between the parents. Perhaps if men realized that they, by federal law, will, literally, have a price to pay they will not be so anti-abortion.

The man will still have it easy, for he will pay only with money. Without the abortion the woman could pay with her life.

Antonia D. Clark is a retired middle school teacher and college instructor. She lives in Lynnwood.