As per the laws passed by Louisiana, Ohio, and most recently Alabama, the need to discuss the right to choose is more important than ever. Under these regulations, most women will not be able to access safe abortions from medical doctors. Specifically in Alabama women under no circumstances, not even rape or incest situations, will have access to abortions and could potentially face punishment if they were to get one. In general, one of the leading arguments of pro-life advocates is that women should be held responsible for their actions and should not have the right to take the “easy way out” of their decision to have sex. However, these laws and this belief is only targeting women. 

No laws or regulations have been proposed in regards to how we could stop unplanned, undesirable pregnancies from occurring in regards to the male’s role. Instead, anti-abortion, anti-women laws that deny a woman the right to her body are being passed. Men are not being held accountable for these pregnancies the same way as women. Men are not being forced into parenthood under these laws the same way women are. Anti-abortion laws are not created to protect the lives of unborn children. Instead, they are created to control women and their bodies. 

I propose that new laws begin to be discussed by government officials who are truly concerned about the lives of unborn children. To protect the lives of children who are conceived unplanned or in undesirable conditions, a nationwide law stating that all men are required vasectomies until they are truly ready for fatherhood should be put in place. Men should not be allowed to reverse vasectomies until they have written consent from a woman in which they wish to conceive a child with, just as some abortion laws state that a woman must acquire a male’s signature for the procedure to occur. This would eliminate men from making choices without the consent of a woman. Maybe this is something to consider because, as per the laws that state women do need this permission, men should be held to the same standard. Because vasectomies are reversible, and would completely eliminate the chances of unplanned pregnancies, this would decrease the need for abortions. 

If our government is working to control women’s bodies in all ways possible, why shouldn’t they work to control men’s, too? If women do not have rights to their bodies, men should not either. Both parties should be held equally accountable, and yet, women are still the only one whose bodies are being regulated.