Why do women feel so threatened when a man wants a say about abortion?

I actually did not feel threatened. When we decided to have an abortion we took our time and considered all our options. This is what a couple should do when it comes to this situation. There is a tendency for abortions to be viewed as a woman's choice but it really should be both. Besides, afterwards I needed the support of my boyfriend to deal with the emotions. Even with everything, I still felt depressed and I needed him. We needed each other.

Many women think its a woman's choice. They feel men taking a stand on it is encroaching on their reproductive rights. Rightly so. Consider this scenario: If a woman wanted an abortion but the father did not, would the woman have to carry the baby to term against her will? Historically, women were treated as little more than cows although this does not apply equally and totally. Women had little say on whether they would be mothers or not. Their husbands could control them as much as the law allowed which was a lot. If they was a divorce, the father got the children. Only in the past 100 years has that changed (not long after we got the vote).

Considering history, I can see why women get defensive. There's a lot of social and cultural issues that have yet to be resolved between men and women concerning reproductive rights. And considering the scenario I laid out, that would be insanely problematic. But I still feel it should be discussed with both sides having a voice.

I think basically it should be a female issue -- not that a man should not have a say in the life of his child, if he is willing (but that is for the couple to determine) But, I find it a little insulting when men comment have the baby and "just" put it up for adoption. There is no plausible way a man can fully conceptualize, pregnancy, labor, birth, adoption or abortion. The way that a pregnancy impacts the life, hormones, job, family and body of the women ... while men can (and sometimes do) just walk away.

Face it, women but a big weight onto how the man feels. Typically the information the woman uses to make decision to keep life or abort it is:

1. Do I love myself? (Self esteem issue)

2. Does her sexual partner love her?

3. Does her family support her?

4. Will her friends help her?

5. Does society value life enough for her to have hope for the child's future?

From your ranting, if you got a woman pregnant, she'd probably want to kill it because of #1 & #2. Her friends and family may be able to give her the self esteem to accept life, but most likely, she would feel completly hopless. How can a woman be inspired to bring in life if there is no hope?

This is why many women ask men to shut up --- they want to find the opportunity to find love rather than hate; which many men are voicing through divorse, porno, and belittling comments. God bless the man & women who can think of more than themselves.

You make a valid point. From a legal standpoint, men and women should have equal weight in the law making.

However, what is frightening for many women is that it creates the potential for another person, agency, or entity other than herself to dictate the inner workings of her own body. It begs the question... what's next? Where will we draw the line in regulating each other? Where will we draw the line in limiting each other's rights?

What scares me is not this issue, because I believe you're correct. What scares me is the precedence it sets. You know what I mean?

Without reading the other answers, I would say that when a man and woman engage in CONSENSUAL sex, he has as much right as she does to choose whether or not to carry the baby to term. Consensual sex, when it results in pregnancy, is in fact the beginning of a lifelong relationship in which joint decisions will have to be made regarding the welfare of the offspring.

When consent is not given, as in the case of incest or rape, including date rape and coercion by threat of violence (which happens in a lot of marriages, and it never makes the news), then I believe the woman has the sole right to decide. It is the latter circumstance, coercion by threat of violence, in which I see a potential threat from giving a man a say in abortion.

For that reason alone, it is important for the LAW to provide a woman the right to choose – thus the phrase – my body, my choice.

Ideally, we would live in world where abortion was unnecessary because there was no sex without consent, and the youth were protected from unplanned pregnancy by being adequately chaperoned at all times.

Feel threatened? That's a life in a half. I see no point in believing I'm a human-being just because of some title I can write on sheet of paper one moment and erase in the next; to me that's completely pointless.

It's funny how a majority of answers say that men don't have much say in pregnancy and/or abortion. But as soon as she needs some child support, women EXPECT men to be fully involved. So which is it ladies, do you want the father of your child to be involved or not, or only when it benefits you the most?

Yes it's true the man contributes to the making of the child, but it's ultimately up to the woman. It's her that is carrying the child, it's her body and how can another human being decide what she does with it. If that man don't like the decision she makes then he's got the choice of not being with that woman anymore. See that's the problem with people today, they jump in bed with each other before finding out about one another, then when big decisions like this come about they have big problems in the relationship. And the fact is, A women is not controlled by a man therefore any decision she makes about her body is her Choice and only hers. The man will have to just face the consequences of his actions when he choose to be with that woman.

Bush is not pro-life, let's get that straight right now.

Women are so wrapped up in the "my body, my choice" rhetoric (never mind about the baby's body, right?).

A long time ago my uncle got a woman pregnant. He was more than willing to support the child, and she basically thumbed her nose at him and went ahead and aborted--had my cousin killed. My mother says that to this day he's still a grieving father.

Well, the woman is the one losing the baby, not the man. Of course they both are but you're killing a human being basicly. A woman will feel way more guilty about it than the man because the baby is growing inside the woman.

Men will probably forget about it after a while, while women will think about it often. You never know if that one baby was going to grow up to make a huge difference in the world.