35 Years After Roe v. Wade, The Right Reveals New Tactic: Exploiting Men

Today is the 35th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade. You probably already know that Roe struck down state laws outlawing abortion, but unless it's part of your job description (as it is mine) to keep up with the state of abortion access on a daily basis, you probably don't know that Roe was just the beginning.

Roe happened before I was born. It's older than I am. I have to say that as a little girl, I had no idea that it would still be questioned when I grew up. That I would one day find unending job security in protecting the right to choose. I kinda figured that by now, women would be the undisputed owners of their own bodies, able to choose and fulfill their own destinies.

Ah, the innocence of my youth...

See, as it turns out, the right has spent 35 years introducing thousands of laws (restrictions aimed at providers, propaganda aimed at women) to curtail access. 35 years condemning women from the pulpit, regardless of why they chose an abortion. 35 years trying to stuff the genie back into the bottle and return women to their prior status as property.

And now the latest tactic is to start a "Lost Fatherhood" movement. You guessed it, these are men whose wives, girlfriends, or lovers have had abortions, and the men are usurping the experience. From Stephanie Simon at the LA Times:

"We had abortions," said Mark B. Morrow, a Christian counselor. "I've had abortions."

Morrow spoke to more than 150 antiabortion activists gathered recently in San Francisco for what was billed as the first national conference on men and abortion. Participants -- mostly counselors and clergy -- heard two days of lectures on topics such as "Medicating the Pain of Lost Fatherhood" and "Forgiveness Therapy With Post-Abortion Men."