it is the woman's body and she should be allowed to decide what she does with it, not the father. especially considering how guys tend to not be there for women they knock up when they are not married, considering how they aren't really legally obligated to anyways except possibly in child support. =\

It does take two to make the baby - I feel that under normal circumstances the father should be given the option to raise the child himself.

There are many, many exceptions to that, however...

A woman shouldn't have to carry a baby for nine months when she doesn't want to.

After thinking on the wording of the question a bit more I have changed my answer to NO - she should not be legally bound to get his permission.

So I the father wants to keep the child, but the mother doesn't, the mother can't have an abortion? You can't force the mother to do that, she's a parent too and she gotta carry it for 9 months.

gabitha: what does age have to do with it? chances are the father is going to be the same age and if he's not then it's illegal anyways and he definatley shouldn't have any say

Oops. I should have worded this question better. Yes, I'm referring to the legality of the situation.

I think that, when possible, the father should have a say in what happens and the woman should take his opinion into consideration but, from a legal standpoint, it's the woman who ultimately has to make the deision. That's just the way nature designed it.

I asked this because I had an ex who was "pro-choice, not pro-abortion" and he believed that Congress should pass a law requiring women to get the father's permission before getting an abortion. Needless to say, our relationship did not last.

I'm confused here. Is the father her father, or the father of the baby inside her. If it's her father I say no, it should be her choice and her choice alone. If it's the father of the baby, then she should consult with him, it is as much his baby as it is her's.

I could imagine a law saying that the father must be given notice of the abortion or something, but then again there are many exceptions to that too, like, when someone gets raped I think they obviously shouldn't be obliged to tell the "father" they're having an abortion.
But in "normal" circomstances, where the mother and the father know each other, I do think the father should know what's going on.
But it's still the woman's decision in the end, no matter what.

It's like. "Oh! I knocked you up. You HAVE to keep the baby. But don't worry, I won't help support you or it at ALL."

I don't really believe in abortion but being a guy if my wife or girlfriend got an abortion without my consent I would be pretty mad at her.Like tvman said,it's the father's baby just as much as it is her's.

sure, but it's not the father's body. whether or not he contributed 50% of the DNA, he has absolutely no right to tell the mother what she can or cannot do with her own body.

The father should have a right though because the mother is choosing to kill his baby too.the baby isnt just the mothers,its his also.

I say no. There are many reason, i believe in abortion though so that helps with my reasoning. There is also the "father" could be someone who raped the mother, could be a one night stand, could be someone that's gonna nick off, there are a lot of things that are under that consideration. It could be an ex, it goes on the list of why a fathers permission could turn bad. Also if the woman doesn't want it why should she still have to have it?

okay thegamer007 i get where your coming from and i think the father has a right to know what's going on but not the right to decide and the father never bonds with this child while it's in the mother, if she chooses to get a abortion, it will always be harder on her than on him, that may sound sexist or harsh or what ever, but it's true
what about changing the law to some thing like instead of having to get three doctors signature, you can either get one doctor and the father or three doctors signatures, may sound slightly strange but it's sort of a compromise

^^^^ I think that's a great idea, actually. It at least gives the father some way to be a part of the decision making process while not over-stepping the rights of the woman.

And I'll reiterate that I believe that, when possible the father should have his say in what happens. However, the flip side to that is that the child is as much the mother's as it is the father's and, in a tie, I think the tie-breaker should go to the person who's actually carrying the baby.

as if he would know EXACTLY what's she's going through.

i like the tie breaker analogy pretty much sums up my views on the matter, i need to learn to similify things lol people might be able to understand me then

Yeah your right I don't know what women go through but if they didn't wanna get pregnant then they shouldent of "hit a home run".

hey it takes two to tango! and contraception isn't a hundred percent

Yeah true but its not 0% either.

i'm not sure i understand what you meant by that, TheGamer007. are you suggesting that contraception isn't as effective as abstinence, or that people should use more contraception, or...?

frankly it sounded like to me you was suggesting that it was just the womens fault if she got pregnant but i shall give you the benefit of the doubt and question along with bliss

Overall i'm saying that people should just use contracetives like condoms so you wouldent have to kill a baby or just don't do it at all if stuff like condoms don't interest you.

^^ kill a baby? It's not a baby - actually a collection of cells then a sort of mass without awareness for a good while after conception - i think 24 weeks is WAY to long.

But anyway .... yeh i think the father should have input - but if the mother really doesn't want to tell him then she shouldn't have to - and shouldn't need his permission to terminate a pregnancy.

it's an excellent point that some people don't considering having an abortion "killing a baby". also, contraceptives are never 100%, no matter how many different types you're using. sure sure, there's always abstinence, but there are always going to be people who wind up in this situation and in those cases, the mother should have the unequivocable right to decide what to do about it.

what if the mother was raped? what if the father got her pregnant and then left her? now what is she supposed to do? she has no choice. so no

Well, I don't believe in abortion, but I still have an opinion.

They should not need a father's/mother's/parental consent, but they SHOULD need consent. If not from a guardian, then from a judge.

I think women should at least take into consideration whether the father wants to keep the baby. However if the mother does not want to and the father is adamant about keeping it the father should raise the child without any bother towards the mother.

But bellywalks, that means that the woman still has to carry the child for nine months and go through labor, which could be a large part of why she wants an abortion in the first place.

Maybe the women doesn't want to have it, even if the dad wants it.

I hear it hurts to birth one(from my mom of course, she won't let me forget how much it hurts)

I don't think that legally a women should have to get permission from the father. It's her body after all.
But from a social point of view, I think a women should always tell the father about it. It's just the 'decent' thing to do.

I don't know about "permission", but it would be courteous to at least talk with him (if you are in a relationship).

OMG NO!!! What if the father raped the daughter? What if he's a crazy hard core christian, what if he's DEAD!? What if she's a human being and can maker her own decisions!! PERMISSION FROM HER FATHER THAT DONT EVEN MAKE NO SENSE!

^
I think they mean the father of the baby, not the father of the mother.

That depends on whether or not the biological or adoptive father is active in the young girl's life.

If he's been relatively absent throughout her childhood and teen years, the answer is a resounding NO.

Absolutely not. The person carrying the fetus is the only one who should be making the decision. In my opinion, it's when a baby is actually born that the father should be involved in the decision making process (such as putting the baby up for adoption).

um if she is a "woman" why does she needs her fathers permission, she is an adult. However I do think it could be wise to seek some consil before she gets an abortion

Edit: Well if it is the babies father, then I think he should have a say if he is ok she is having one, or he is against her having one, since it is half his DNA she is holding.

^The pick's referring to the baby's father, not the mother's father.

It should be the woman's choice, but I still think the father's feelings should be heard and taken into consideration.

Well, if she asks permission and he says yes, no problem there. If she asks permission and he says no, then it's a tie overruled by the fact that she's the one who does the incubation. So it wouldn't make a difference.