ELC231 3A18 (EVALUATIVE COMMENTARY)

NAME:
Fenny Yabin (2018637676)
Ibrahim bin Abdul Wahap (2018203014)

Title Of Article : When We Talk About Abortion, Let’s Talk About Men.
Authors’ Name : Michelle Oberman
: W. David Ball

The article illustrates about how men are actually included in the issue of abortion. The author
is critical and negative towards the abortion’s law since the law focusing on the punishment
towards the women instead of the men. The author also included how men can be prosecuted
if the law wanted to do so but it seems not going to be happen.

First and foremost, the author tried to imply that most men think that abortion is only
about women and has nothing to do with them because the one who always faced this
problem is woman and not the man. Well it is true, but it does not mean, men can easily
running from the mistakes they have done and let the women suffer by herself. In fact, nearly
half of pregnancies are unintended , which four in ten end in abortion. It happens due to the
unwanted pregnancies, and it needs both woman and man for the unwanted pregnancies to be
happened. Therefore, it is unfair to blame the women only when this problem happened
because of the mistakes of both sides, women and men.

Moreover, this article also shows that men actually the reason of abortion since nine to
ten unwanted pregnancies happen in relationship, and most abortion patients said that their
male partners support their decision. It means that, most women who had abortion never
decided to abort their babies but their partners wanted them to do so. It is clear that men
should be punished the way the law have punished women because encouraging someone to
do an abortion or buying abortion drugs is a criminal and can be served from 10 to 99 years in
prison. For instance, to be fair men should be punished if they allow or encourage their
partners to have an abortion.

Next, the author also stated that if a men walks away, knowing he got his partner
pregnant and suspecting she will have an abortion, he may be committing child
neglect. This is because they as a parents should be responsible to take care of their
children. The author also stated that men can not abandon their child and is legally
obligated to protect it. Men are meant to be protectors, so there is a sense of failure if
they fail to protect the mother and the unborn child. They are failling to be
responsible.

Last but not least, the author stated that all men, whether leaders, legislators or
just a regular guys, should know that abortion is personal to them, too. They should
not just speak to and about women. They must take responsibility for themselves.
They can not blame women for everything because men have a far greater potential
to cause unwanted pregnancies than women in terms of fertile days in their life time
and it is directly through male pleasure that these pregnancies happen in the first
place.

I am generally agree with this article because it is unfair to blame the women only since
men also apart of the issue. It is because both women and men are responsible to take care of
their child. However, it is not easy to punished men since they are not the one who abortthe
child. The author mentions that it is impossible to punish men for being irresponsible in
abortion. In my opinion, it is possible to punish men if there is a law that make abortion if
illegal and stand for women.

In the nutshell, I reaffirm my stand that men also should be responsible in

abortion since women don’t have unwanted pregnancies without them. Therefore,
both of men and women are responsible in abortion and they can be punished if they
abandoned their child and legally obligated to protect it.