There is simply a fundamental difference between something which is inside and something which isn't -- mainly the ability of the different people to provide the necessary care for the baby. And allowing an "opt-out" of parenthood allows dead beat dads to simply say "abortion" to prevent ever carrying for the thing they bear some responability for in the first place. That would put economically-disadvantaged, yet morally non-abortionists, in a very very hard position. Something I assume you don't agree with.

I understand the frustration. I really do. But I don't believe you can dictate a female's choice. People can choose not be organ donors, even though it saves a life, and even though they are dead and don't even need it. Do people who loose young children or siblings or parents who need a liver or kidney think it is horrible -- of course they do. But we don't mandate it, and no one even suggests we should. As other's have said, unless we are willing to take this to its ultimate conclusion, i.e. government control of our internal parts, we cannot mandate it for only half the species.

And if we did, where does it stop? If you can dictate that a woman carry it full term, can you dictate how it is carried? Logically, because the father has a recognized legal interest in the baby he could dictate how. Then what? How much exercise? How many fruits and vegetabes they eat? Whether they eat fast food? Have a glass of wine twice during the pregnancy? Eat sushi? Whether they have an epideral or not? Which doctors they use? If a woman has a miscarriage, can the guy sue on any theory that she caused it? Maybe she danced, or worked out, or fell down the stairs. Is she at "fault" legally for that because he has a right to live born baby? All of these issues are things people believe may affect the baby, but disagree on if or how -- do you see how far it goes?

And, off topic, but of course it is child-support. 1) the law says the amount is determined by father's income and child's needs, not the mother's desired lifestyle, 2) there is a check on the parenting ability -- the father has the ability to seek custody or report the mother to human services. (And for the record, I do stand for father's to have as great of rights in a born baby as a mother, and against the presumption that the mother should always be the presumed custody holder. I have an amazing father who sought custody and faced this.)