Holding men accountable for unwanted pregnancies
Alan Gordon is a Republican running for Attorney General in Rhode Island. Since abortion is legal in Rhode Island, he won't be able to prosecute doctors who perform abortions or women who have them, but I get the impression that he's pro-life (the first entry in his platform is "Right to Life"). He says
He has a very interesting proposal to hold men accountable for unwanted pregnancies.
While very few if any pro-lifers would consider pregnancy to be "reckless battery," treating it that way provides an avenue to hold men, and not just women, responsible for unwanted pregnancies.
https://alangordonri.com/reproductive-justice-unit/
Gordon's opponent is Democrat Kim Ahern, whose platform leads with her support for "access to sexual and reproductive healthcare" and "the pursuit of reproductive justice and bodily autonomy for all." So she's clearly pro-choice.
Rhode Island’s abortion laws have changed significantly in recent years, but those changes do not eliminate the Attorney General’s responsibility to enforce every applicable criminal statute. My office will carefully examine how abortion laws interact with homicide statutes, child protection laws, mandatory reporting requirements, medical licensing laws, and other criminal provisions to ensure that every law enacted by the General Assembly is enforced faithfully.
He has a very interesting proposal to hold men accountable for unwanted pregnancies.
True reproductive justice has to hold the father accountable too.
Consent to sex is not consent to pregnancy. If a woman has not expressly consented to being made pregnant, and a man recklessly causes a pregnancy anyway, the law should recognize the physical consequences imposed on her body under ordinary reckless-battery principles.
And for appropriate first offenders, the answer should not just be jail. It should be disciplined diversion: hard work, vocational training, self-command, and preparation to become a responsible father and provider.
Protect the woman. Protect the child. Hold the father accountable.
Consent to sex is not consent to pregnancy. If a woman has not expressly consented to being made pregnant, and a man recklessly causes a pregnancy anyway, the law should recognize the physical consequences imposed on her body under ordinary reckless-battery principles.
And for appropriate first offenders, the answer should not just be jail. It should be disciplined diversion: hard work, vocational training, self-command, and preparation to become a responsible father and provider.
Protect the woman. Protect the child. Hold the father accountable.
While very few if any pro-lifers would consider pregnancy to be "reckless battery," treating it that way provides an avenue to hold men, and not just women, responsible for unwanted pregnancies.
https://alangordonri.com/reproductive-justice-unit/
Gordon's opponent is Democrat Kim Ahern, whose platform leads with her support for "access to sexual and reproductive healthcare" and "the pursuit of reproductive justice and bodily autonomy for all." So she's clearly pro-choice.
