I show that equality of rights and responsibilities, abortion rights, and genuine parental responsibility cannot coexist. Abortion rights entail that persons capable of becoming pregnant have the right to relinquish future parental responsibility; however, biological fathers of their born children do not have such a right, thereby violating equality of rights. I carefully analyze the available options to resolve the logical contradiction. One consequence of the contradiction is that those justif…
Read moreI show that equality of rights and responsibilities, abortion rights, and genuine parental responsibility cannot coexist. Abortion rights entail that persons capable of becoming pregnant have the right to relinquish future parental responsibility; however, biological fathers of their born children do not have such a right, thereby violating equality of rights. I carefully analyze the available options to resolve the logical contradiction. One consequence of the contradiction is that those justification attempts of abortion rights which implicitly assume equality of rights and responsibilities and genuine parental responsibility (such as an argument of Réz in Elpis) are either logically invalid or based on contradictory premises. Instead of abandoning abortion rights or equality, I note that ultimate parental responsibility may rest not with natural persons, but with the state. Either way, mandatory child support laws should be reexamined.
