To Whom It May Concern,

Hello & Good day to whom this may reach.

My name is Tony Woodfin Jr. I am a 36 year young, 2x cancer patient and a resident of Mississippi.

This petition is in regards to not only my situation, but plenty of other men across the country as well. We have forever been discussing things like Equality & Women's Rights in this country and things could not be further from equal!

For some reason, FATHERS RIGHTS in this country could not be more of a JOKE than they are! You all as legislators have been so concerned over the years with "women's rights" and securing their vote for yourselves, that you have made fathers rights all but completely non-existent.

For example, if I am dating someone, we get pregnant and down the road the relationship fails for some reason. She then automatically has ALL the rights to said pregnancy, the live birth and even after that.

 Tell me how fair that is?? How "just" is that?? That; even if said father is already on doctors (OB-GYN) forms and HIPPA forms as the father of the child. This does not include any Non-Profits Organizations , parenting classes, etc. Quite literally , we as men, as FATHERS; automatically lose any and all rights if the mother of the child simply says "NO" at any given time in the pregnancy.

Then, all of a sudden we have to hire lawyers & go to court to not only prove our existence, but that we are "fit" to even be a father to them. Even then a lot of times that is just the tip of that iceberg All over one simple, 2-letter word that nobody even requires proof or even so much as a legitimate reason. They quite literally do not care. WHY?! You all call that equality?? That's not even touching the mental anguish, stress and all the vital and IRREPLACEABLE moments missed due to this!! Sonograms, heart beats, anatomy checks and other important medical information like early genetic and allergy testing. God forbid the child in question does not make it to term, because we would never know then either and yet again, have no rights to our own child's funeral services; just like our child's birth!! OR, the father has a really rare genetic disease that even most doctors are not aware even exists, let alone things to watch and test for. Yet again, I ask....EQUALITY?! Even better yet, how is that not CHILD NEGLECT and/or medical negligence, on not only the mother, but legislators and doctors as well?!?!?!?!?

Why should we have to miss out on all those vital Prenatal moments? All those memories? Why should we have to pay THOUSANDS to some lawyer and literally BEG the biased court system and the mother of OUR child, just so we can be a father to OUR own child?! How does 1 parent get ALLLLLLLL rights AUTOMATICALLY, when BOTH parents DNA are used in the creation and fruition of said child. Yet only one has to PROVE themselves before they even have a chance to fail. Not just that either, the mother (other parent) never does!! In fact, if the mother decides, again, for whatever reason she so chooses, to give up said child at birth (adoption). We as fathers have no rights or say so to that either AND THE WOMAN GETS PRAISED FOR IT. Let that sink in, if the mother does not want said child for whatever reason, fathers still have no rights and have to fight, even if she doesn't want the child AND other folks praise her for "doing the right thing" or "doing right by the baby" and coddle said "mother". HOWEVER, if the father...the man..the male...whatever verbiage you choose to use, decides that HE doesn't want said child. He gets bashed, defamed, labeled, hunted down by the courts and made pay child support and can even be put in JAIL/PRISON over it. AGAIN I ASK....... EQAULITY?!?!?!?!?!? 

There is ZERO reason we cannot make it possible for fathers to have these basic prenatal and birthing rights. There is ZERO reason we as fathers should not be allowed access to prenatal DNA testing that has been available now for the MOTHER to use against us if she seems so fit. However, that apparently is also a one way street in our country for some unjust reason. There is ZERO reason why, as fathers of the child, we should not be able to attend OB appointments or at the least the OB portion of said appointments. That particular portion is all about OUR child and OUR child's growth & well being. It has inherently NOTHING to do specifically with HER body, so why is it HER BODY, HER CHOICE?!?!? SHe knew, just like we as men did, that sex is a consensual action that has consequences. Just like when a criminal commits a crime, they know that crime has risks and if you take them, you deal with the consequences. Only, women do not. They can quite literally do and decide whatever they so choose when it comes to pregnancy and our babies and yall just let the shit happen and then wonder why so many men give up, walk away, aint present as much or whatever other excuse yall use to bash us. Whole time, dont even care to know or understand OUR side as the men and fathers. WE ARE DAMN GOOD AND TIRED OF DEALING WITH THE COMPLETE, BLATANT AND UTTER DISRESPECT AND INEQUALITY OF YOUR BOGUS STAUTES\LAWS IN REGARDS OT THIS MATTER!!!!!!!!!!!!

We can easily leave after the "OB" portion and before the "GYN" portions of said appointments!!! This is not a secret!

Now, as an expecting father myself who is in this EXACT position as we speak. I am speaking from experience. I, myself, have been forced to miss many updates, sonograms, anatomy checks, genetic testing, gender reveals, etc. and will end up missing the birth as well. Again, all because she said a 1 syllable, 2 letter word and then all a sudden, im a deadbeat dad, etc. I have a great primary job and own my own business. 3 bedroom, 2 bath house, a fully furnished and decorated nursery, 4 acres, a service dog and a storm shelter even. Yet, somehow I dont qualify to have a say so.

 I have a very rare genetic disease as stated and my child's mother has a plethora of debilitating allergies that could seriously affect our son. Such as a deathly allergy to latex and adhesives to name a couple. BOTH of which play a huge role in the planning/pregnancy portion of this process. I don't even know if my son has allergies, which makes it VERY difficult to even prepare properly to even BE a father and PROVE i can be a great father because I am limited on funds and yet have to go out of my way to attempt to satisfy all possible scenarios. When it SHOULD be as simple as being there for the information 1st hand. I quite literally do not even know the first thing about my own son to date. Go ahead and justify how "equal" that is, all because of a simple, FAILED RELATIONSHIP. 

I HAVE DREAMED OF THIS EXACT MOMENT MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!!! Most individuals' bucket lists include things like skydiving, swimming with sharks, etc. The #1 thing on my bucket list has ALWAYS been a family. Yes, Ironically, my most wanted thing in life is to have someone else's "normal". A family; that is it. Anything after that is just a bonus to me. Now at 36 years old my dream is soooo close and yet sooooo far. All because of some misguided notion in our legal and societal systems.

In closing, if I didn't want to be present in his life, I would be socially ridiculed, damned, and castrated as just another worthless, statistical father. Now that I want to be present in his life, I honestly don't feel any different. In fact it's costing me exponentially more just to be present. More money I do not have (thousands), more time I could use elsewhere, more mental energy and anguish, more stress, less sleep and GOD FORBID my son does not make it to term or worse because I would never know that either. Then I would miss my own son's funeral services, again, all over a simple failed relationship and 1, 2-letter word attached to a woman's feelings about something that ultimately has NOTHING to do with our child. I try to get her to let me be there or try just showing up, because then I will even go to jail. Again, all over me wanting to be a present father. Make that make sense!!!!

FATHERS ARE DAMN TIRED OF THIS & DESERVE PRENATAL/BIRTH FATHERS RIGHTS, EQUALLY AND EXPEDITIOUSLY!!! With this said, will you all stand up with/ for all of us fathers and HELP ME be the change we desperately need here?