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STOP ASKING THIS QUESTION!

Forced Marriage Is NOT the Answer

Stupid question: “Should a man who accidentally impregnates a woman be forced to marry her?”

Author, D. Denise Dianaty

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Infographic created by the author using Facebook display options

This ludicrous question purports to be a solution for the removal of abortion rights. It ponders whether forced birth should also mandate forced marriage. It intimates that is the solution now that the Dobbs ruling overturned Roe v. Wade. Apparently, there are lots of folks out there who think the answer should be “yes.” This fetid question appears in my feeds — Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook — from a different person nearly every daggone day. And, the responses are invariably skewed toward an outright “yes” or some variation of forcing the man into the lives of the girl or woman.

To answer the next question that invariably follows this fetid query… Yes, someone can be accidentally impregnated. FACT: Anything that happens contrary to planning is accidental. FACT: Half of those seeking abortions were using contraception when they got pregnant.

“…about half (51%) of abortion patients in the United States reported that they had used a contraceptive method in the month they became pregnant.”

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Responses (8)