Pro-Choice Men Should Raise A Ruckus (a blog for choice)

Conservative men are constantly manufacturing a movement against abortion rights. They frame the debates, manipulate the media, and push the legislation. The Bush administration has aggressively pushed an anti-choice agenda, successfully changing the way abortion rights are talked about, and making democratic men afraid to stand up for them. During his 2004 Presidential campaign John Kerry displayed a weak stance on abortion coupled with numerous reminders of his Catholic faith, while Howard Dean recently stated that liberals need to "change the way" they speak about abortion. Regardless of where the public stands on this issue, conservative men have created the impression that abortion rights are not popular, leading democratic men to question how important it is to stand on this issue. It is regrettable that the men most vocal about abortion rights are the ones who want to take them away.

I am a feminist and pro-choice man. I am proud of this fact, but I feel today that identifying myself as such is not enough.
I will never know physically what it feels like to be pregnant, and I will never have to make the decision as to what is right for my body in that situation. Because of this, I have taken abortion rights for granted, never taking the time to think about how important they are. While I have always told my partner that I would support whatever choice she made, I have also unfairly given her the responsibility of defending that right. Pro-choice men need to not only give their partners full support, they need to take an active stance in defending abortion rights. Men need to organize, be vocal, and most importantly - talk to other men. While I have talked about these issues with my partner many times, I have never had that conversation with another man. It would be beneficial for pro-choice men to have an open discussion with one-another. We need to be as vocal as anti-choice men; this is a human right, not just a woman's right. This is really hard to do, but we need to do it.

Masculinity is all about control, and pregnancy is ultimately something we have little control over. I wonder if this is the reason men are so quick to advocate against the rights of a woman. Maybe then they can begin to feel like they have control. As a pro-choice man, I want to speak out, and not let anti-choice men speak for me.