adenike

Hi Feministing!

This is my first post, and I’m really excited about finally having registered and fully being part of the community. 

I had time to register because I’m at home recovering from wisdom teeth surgery.  So I’m basically sitting here, eating lots of soup, and watching lots of quality daytime TV.  And shockingly, I found something worth blogging about on Dr. Phil.

Today’s Dr. Phil show is called "Forced to Be a Father."  Men are on the show talking about girlfriends or ex-girlfriends who had children without getting the man’s input or listening to the man’s input (in cases where he wanted her to abort the pregnancy and she refused, for ex.).  A man and his wife, who have two children of their own, are on right now talking about a child the husband unknowingly had with his ex-girlfriend.  The ex-girlfriend asked for a paternity test and child support two years after their breakup, and that was the first time he’d ever heard about the baby.  He and his wife both said that the man shouldn’t be held responsible for a choice that he didn’t make.

One of the experts, Mel Feit from the National Center for Men’s Rights, says that "DNA is not the measure of fatherhood."  He also said that he’s advocating for reproductive choice, not just women’s rights.  Reproductive choice, according to him, means that men and women have equal input in deciding whether to have or raise a child.  If the woman ...