While women's abortion rights have received flak for taking away a father-to-be's say about his unborn child in a debate over men's reproductive rights, Sweden is hoping to pass a law that would allow men to just walk away from fatherhood.
The Liberal Youth in Sweden has come up with a law that says a man should have the right to back out of being a father. This includes giving up all parental rights and any contact with the child throughout his life, but also any financial responsibilities tied to raising a child. However, the decision to terminate a pregnancy is still entirely up to the woman alone.
Although many are skeptical about the law, it shows that the face of feminism is changing. In fact, it wasn't men behind the proposal of this law, but a group of 17- to 20-year-old women who noticed the lack of gender equality on the issue of parenting and abortion; this is according to The Telegraph.
This is how the makers of the law imagined it would go: a man would declare his decision to not be involved as a parent in a state-approved form and submit it to a register office. The process would be tedious and expensive to still promote the use of contraception and the practice of safe sex.
Marcus Nilsen, chairmen of the Liberal Youth in western Sweden doesn't believe the law would promote more complicated parent-child relationships either, Medical Daily reports. Situations wherein the mother doesn't know the child's father already exist, such as artificial insemination. The law would also apply to married couples, although Nielsen says this wouldn't be a good sign for the marriage.
During these modern times where feminism is a cry heard 'round the world, it's easy to forget that maybe men should have reproductive rights too. If girls in their late teens to early twenties can figure that out, surely we should have no problem keeping up.
