We hear “choice” constantly, almost always as a synonym for abortion: “a woman’s right to choose.” But if we’re really talking about choice, why does the conversation stop at one option?
Choosing to carry a child to term and raise it is a choice.
Choosing to carry a child to term and offer it for adoption is a choice. Choosing to have sex only when you’re truly ready for the possible consequences—or taking highly effective measures to prevent pregnancy—is a choice.
Yet none of these ever seem to count. In practice, “choice” has been narrowed to a single procedure, performed because the child is deemed inconvenient.
There’s another voice almost never heard: the father’s. Does the man who co-created this new life get any say? In theory, perhaps. In practice, almost never—and strangely, we almost never hear men protesting the abortions of children they helped conceive. The silence is telling. Most of the time, both parties are relieved to erase the evidence and move on.
Because that’s what it usually comes down to: inconvenience. Pregnancy is uncomfortable. Children are expensive. They cramp lifestyles, careers, and party schedules. For the man, fatherhood might mean eighteen years of child support for a child he’ll never know. The path of least resistance is a quick procedure, a biowaste container, and (in some cases) a profitable side hustle in fetal tissue. Back to brunch.
Yes, exceptions exist. When continuing a pregnancy will likely kill the mother, when conception was forced through rape or incest, or when the child faces a short and painful existence, abortion can be the least terrible option. These cases are real, and they deserve compassion.
But they are not the majority. The overwhelming majority of abortions are acts of convenience, not tragedy. “My body, my choice” has quietly become “my convenience, your bill”—with taxpayers footing an increasing share of the cost and almost no one allowed to object.
At its core, the modern doctrine of unlimited abortion tells both sexes the same thing: you are not expected to exercise foresight, restraint, or responsibility. You are too weak for agency, too fragile for consequences. Biology is treated as an unfair imposition rather than a fact of life, and the answer is always to eliminate the result rather than govern the behavior.
There is a radically different view. It’s called responsibility.
For women: if you’re not ready for a child, the most empowering feminist act available is to control your fertility before conception—not after. Modern contraception is remarkably effective and widely available. Use it, or choose partners who will stand by you. Own the power you actually have instead of outsourcing the hardest decision to a clinic.
For men: real masculinity
Choice, rightly understood, is not the freedom to kill an inconvenience. It is the freedom—and the duty—to live like adults who understand that actions have consequences, that sex makes babies, and that those babies are not disposable.
That is the bravest choice of all.