"Our entire abortion debate pits the fetus against the woman. Men are absent. They can shrug off an unwanted pregnancy as someone else’s problem, even though they contributed half the genetic material to the fetus. Lawmakers are comfortable with regulating women’s sexual behavior, but are shocked by the idea of doing it to men. It might seem strange to talk about men and abortion, but it’s stranger not to, since women don’t have unwanted pregnancies without them. All men should know that abortion is personal for them, too. They shouldn’t just speak to and about women, but must take responsibility for themselves. Think about it -- prosecuting men for abortion — despite the sound legal footing of such charges — tells us something important about the way we have, until now, framed the debate. Boys will be boys, but women who get pregnant have behaved irresponsibly."
At www.nytimes.com
