Quote From: jayriddleOh. Goodness. You are correct -- I should have said that the mother-only burden is not over until nursing is complete (I do not think that formula is a good idea -- breast milk is best).
Women can point to pregnancy (and nursing, if they are committed to it) as women-specific physical burdens that men are not subjected to for a year or two after childbirth. I guess I was being ridiculous when I suggested women-only physical burdens were over (relative to men's) after 9 months of pregnancy. Maybe it's a few months longer than that due to nursing. But then again......
...While you breastfed your child -- who earned the income to buy the food to feed you so you could produce that high-quality mother's milk for the child? My best guess is that your "phenomenal provider and father" went out and worked his bum off so you and his child would be well fed at home. Nothing wrong with that (except that the poor guy might have been emotionally distressed that he could not be home bonding with his child like you -- that's the "daddy tax" that most men bear, but which nobody wants to talk about).
The problem I have is with women who claim "women bear all the consequences" after childbirth and therefore deserve all the post-conception rights. Men's reproductive rights just don't seem to matter at all -- because they don't get pregnant or nurse.
BULL!
Fathers are required -- morally and legally -- to support their children regardless of whether or not they intended to conceive those children. Any woman who asserts that women deserve more reproductive rights than men because they bear a greater physical burden (in the form of pregnancy or nursing) after conception is just flat out wrong.
It's about time people acknowledged the very real and very heavy burdens and responsibilities fathers bear after childbirth. And it's about time we grant them rights commensurate with those responsibilities. That would grant men -- gasp -- equal reproductive rights to women!
Women have cried out for "equal rights" in all areas for decades. But when it's time for men's rights in one area to be equal to women's rights, suddenly "equal" is a dirty word.
Better stop the dumb bus. It looks like one of the passengers has escaped.
Sir. I am fairly certain that most people on this message board believe that there is a burden on both mom and dad once a child is conceived (with the exception of dead beat dads). People who enter into parenthood obviously have shared, as well as unique, responsibilties to deal with.
However, you just seem totally angry and irrational in your posts and to be so completely thick as to think that your argument derailed because you failed to add the several months of nursing onto the woman's responsibility time chart...
Your argument derailed because it isn't even rational. Equality is something that is achieved on professional, intellectual, academic levels. This is not even about equality.
There are places and situations that call not for equality, but for fairness, and this topic is a great example. There cannot be equality here, because the very nature of reproduction is not equal. Nature has determined that without the female womb (or a closely simulated environment, in rare circumstances), there is no new life in the animal kingdom.
A man cannot ever understand the physical aspect of going through a pregnancy. You cannot even comment on this, because you have no knowledge or experience. You have never been pregnant and you never will be pregnant. So for you to spout about the equality of a man's and women's responsibilities is meaningless because it is based on nothing other than your opinion. A woman can base it on her experiences. And there is nothing that a man has experienced as a parent, that a woman hasn't also experienced, unless it be an emotional experience (daddy-daughter bonding, father-son bonding). I know many single moms that went back to work after having a child to "bring home the bacon" and provide for their child's needs - without the assistance of any man, or the government.
The bottom line is that there are people in both gender pools who will take advantage and play the victim in this situation. Fairness is what we should all seek. Ultimately, the only behavior that you are responsible for is your own.
So in closing, keep in mind that our bodies are not equal - the same reason that women and men play in different athletic competitions.
My suggestion to you if you want equal reproductive rights to women: Get a womb implant.
(Original Air Date: 04/21/06) Being a parent is hard enough, but what happens when Mom and Dad can't agree on how many kids to have, how to raise 'em and how to get ‘em to sleep? Sometimes, it can lead to an all-out baby war! Matt's baby battle ended up in front of a judge and made headlines. He was ordered to pay child support for the baby he had with his ex-girlfriend, but he says he shouldn't have to cough up the money because she told him she wasn't able to get pregnant, and he told her he didn't want to be a father. He, his attorney, and the director of the National Center for Men discuss the lawsuit they filed, known as “Roe v. Wade for Men,” arguing that men should have a constitutional right to avoid fatherhood. Next, Dan says even though he and his wife, Lisa, already have four children, he wants just one more. Lisa has been pregnant on and off for 11 years and says she's closed for baby business. Will Dr. Phil help Dan see Lisa's point that four is enough? Then, a frustrated husband is camping out on the roof of his house and living in a tent. He refuses to go back to his bedroom until his wife moves their kids out of their bed and starts paying more attention to him. Can Dr. Phil get him to come down the ladder? Plus, a sleep expert has a simple method for getting your child to sleep through the night. See the plan in action! Share advice and talk about the show here.
