The Wardman Wire

A column on the abortion debate in the Independent this morning from Joan Smith.

Men Should Take More Responsibility

Joan Smith: Men have a responsibility for abortions, too

Yep - agree with that.

The discourse around abortion is weirdly gendered, as male doctors and clerics sound off about women and ignore the substantial input (so to speak) of their own sex.

Any evidence in your article of them ignoring the “substantial input of their own sex”? Thought not. All the opinions I have heard are very clear that men should take responsibility.

The debate certainly is weirdly gendered. But since you bring up the “male doctors and clerics”, can I ask why you seem to forget about the female doctors and clerics, Joan? But - as you say - the debate is weirdly gendered.

Where are all the anti-abortion GPs confronting their male patients and telling them to use contraception or check that their partners are protected?

I rather suspect that they are in the surgeries talking to their patients - male and female - about contraception. At least when they are not fighting this sort of bizarre slur.

Meanwhile, back at Parliament

Meanwhile, the legal situation is this (from the FPA site):

Your partner, or the father of the child, has no legal rights.

Responsibilities without Rights?

Joan Smith is calling for men to take more responsibilities. No problem with that whatsoever.

How about giving them some rights to match?

You can’t have the one without the other.