US Senators Introduce Bill to Create National 'Responsible Father Registry'

Really? Never even used as a reference tool? How's this: man is told by woman he's the baby-daddy. He believes her. He registers w/ the state. Later she decides she wants C/S from him. He says OK but now realizes he might not be de daddy. So he wants a DNA test. She doesn't want to cooperate because, hmm, she knows he may not be de daddy. But it's too late. He's now "the putative father".

Tell me, if this registry is not being used in some way for C/S issues, just what is it being used for?

Ultimately, the point is this: as long as women may choose to terminate a pregnancy, men should have no legal obligation to pay a cent to anyone to finance her decision to bring the baby to term. Women have the right not to have babies, and also the right to do so. Men are held to a "pay to play" standard while women are not. But really, having kids is a decision entirely in women's hands. "Pay to play" doesn't even enter into it, or, it shouldn't.

Difficult to accept this, some might say. Any harder to accept abortion as a lawful practice? If you support abortion rights for women, how can you not also support the "paper abortion" option for men? But I take it a step further. I feel men shouldn't have to file a piece of paper declaiming obligations/rights around the child. By default, he should have none, but should he choose to assume them, then he'd need to file a piece of paper, said filing not requiring the mother's approval (after all, she can abort w/out his permission, right?) -- the pre-requisite being that there'd need to be a paternity test required to be certain the baby was his.

Pretty radical an idea? No. No more radical than the current state of affairs. It's all abt truly equal rights.

While I generally agre with your sentiments, "paper abortion" is an outdated term that actually creates a defensive position in people you are attempting to convince. The term legal parental surrender has been used to describe the concept as of late. The term paper abortion often creates, or grants to those opposed the opportunity to mislead, by linking the concept with actually forcing a woman to abort against her will, which we all know it's not intended. It also links it with the act of abortion in the eyes of pro-lifers, which also creates a defensiveness in those discussing it. Furthermore, it opens up the biological differences to be included into the discussion, as there are no physical risks involved in comparison to actually carrying a child to term. For this reason, plus the fact the "paper abortion" is actually far more akin to safe haven abandonment or adoption, it is generally a good idea not to use that term, but legal parental* surrender instead. just some food for thought.

*(parental instead of paternal because it would be best to grant the option to both sexes, that way, mothers who aren't willing to abort, but still don't want the child, don't need to abandon it or adopt it against the fathers wishes in order to avoid child support. They can just give the child to the father, sign away their rights like a man could under the same concept, ad be done with it. this also works for fathers benefit)

Agreed. "Parental surrender" seems to be a better term.

I still think that under the current legal circumstances, by default, men should have no obligations at all to any child a woman chooses to bring to term but that if he claims paternity, a man should be required to be paternity-tested (for everyone's sake). I.e., by default, a state of "parental surrender" ought to exist because the father has no lawful say in whether or not the child is born.

The one thing that can't, it seems, be addressed, is the ability of women to have kids and not even tell the father. When asked at the hospital who the father is (assuming it happens anymore), she can always say it was the product of a 1-night stand and she doesn't know his last name or where he may live. Not saying this is a typical scenario, but it does happen. Not much to be done abt it.

I like the term better and also want to reinforce the notion this right should be available to both parents. If a mother wants to have the child and then give it to the father to raise, surrendering all her rights and responsibilities (as in an adoption), it should be an available option.

I also think the father, as Matt states, should have no automatic rights or responsibilities unless he volunteers for both.

On the other hand, since we live in a world where a child can have two mothers, DNA tests may become irrelevant. One of the mothers obviously volunteered to become a mother. So, too, should it be with fathers. Biology is quickly becoming irrelevant to parenthood. Don't ask me what is relevant because I'm not sure I know.