Men’s Equality Group Calls for Right to Opt Out When Pregnancy Occurs

Date: Friday, March 10, 2006
By: Monica Lewis, BlackAmericaWeb.com

A group claiming to be the country’s first men’s rights organization is mounting a campaign that calls for men to have equal choice in deciding what to do when an unintended pregnancy occurs, including having the chance to opt out of financial responsibility for raising a child. But some believe that such a movement might allow for too many deadbeat dads to continue shirking their responsibilities.

The National Center for Men, based out of Old Bethpage, New York, has prepared a lawsuit for a Michigan man who says his ex-girlfriend knowingly became pregnant and gave birth to their child although he told her he had no desire to be a father.

The man, Matt Dubay of Saginaw, Mich., claims the woman told him she was unable to conceive a child, a fact that made him comfortable enough to believe he would not be placed in a situation of having to pay child support, Roy Barreca, a spokesperson for the National Center for Men, said.

“Our client is going to court on the basis that he was lied to by this woman,� Barreca told BlackAmericaWeb.com.
“The woman has complete and total control over what happens (in terms of reproduction). Men have none. Is that fair?� Barreca asked rhetorically, adding that, since the case has made national headlines, he’s been getting positive feedback from across the country.
“Think of what’s going on here. The woman is bringing into the world another human being," Barreca said. "Isn’t it a lack of responsibility on the woman’s part, knowing that the man does not want this?"

Dubay’s complaint -- which is, in the lawsuit, nicknamed Roe vs. Wade for Men -- was filed in the U.S. District Court in Michigan Thursday. The suit addresses the issue of male reproductive rights, contending that lack of such rights violates the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause, according to the Associated Press.

The National Center for Men has been trying for years to pursue such a case and finally found a suitable plaintiff in Dubay, a 25-year computer programmer who was ordered to pay $500 a month in child support for the baby girl born last year.
But Philadelphia-based defense attorney Michael Coard said the only party who would be violated if Dubay is successful is the daughter his ex-girlfriend gave birth to.
“The child is the innocent bystander here. (It) didn’t trick the father, but now the child is on this planet, and someone has to take care of it,� Coard told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “As unfair and unjust as it may sound, the law should require the father to pay child support."

What Dubay and other men in his position should understand is that they were just as liable in creating the situation, Coard said, adding that far too many men choose to blame the women for the results of their actions.

“She did not forcibly take semen out of his body. He did provide it to her in a way that men provide women in a way to impregnate them,� Coard said. “He can’t be naive and think he could (have sex) and (pregnancy) could not happen. That’s a strike against him.�

Barreca disagreed, saying Dubay was told upfront by his ex-girlfriend that she could not conceive children. Many men, he said, find themselves in situations where they have been duped into having children. This case, he hopes, will help them escape an obligation they do not want to have. Barreca said. He added, however, that he understands it’s going to be an uphill battle.

“We hope to win the case, but in all likelihood, it probably won’t happen,� Barreca said. “But maybe at least we will open up the discussion and open up the debate nationally. This is a democracy, and, when it comes to women’s reproductive rights, they want it their way or no way.�

The only thing that could grow from this, Coard warns, is an increase in an already major problem of men failing to provide physical, emotional and financial support for their children.

“To allow a father to say that he was tricked would certainly provide more ammunition for deadbeat fathers and a cause of action or a legal basis that does not -- and should not -- exist,� Coard said. “If there are a million deadbeat dads out there, at least half of them would try to argue this to get them off the hook. And that’s a dangerous thing.�


THIS WOULDNT OPEN PANDORAS BOX, IT WOULD BLOW IT OFF ITS HINGES

CAN YOU IMAGNE THE DEADBEATS LINING UP.. EXCUSES AT THE READY

YOU WOULD HAVE TO SIGN ACTUAL CONTRACTS AND HAVE WITNESSES WHO CAN VERIFY WOMEN SAYING THAT SHE COULDNT CONCEIVE ETC ETC. THATS WHERE IT WILL HEAD