Why do conservatives let men off so easy in the great abortion debate?

It takes two to make a baby. But men are never the subject of anti-abortion attacks.

Anti-abortion protest.
(Image credit: REUTERS/Mike Blake)

Draconian anti-abortion measures will go into effect in Ohio on Tuesday, part of a broader national effort to incrementally dismantle legal abortion by over-regulation. Barring judicial intervention, one of the consequences of the new measures will be the closing of Cincinnati's Planned Parenthood clinic, cutting millions of area residents off from their sole remaining abortion provider, as well as from the family planning and birth control services the agency provides; Planned Parenthood is appealing the regulations, and responding with a nation-wide "Pink Out" day of protest, also on Tuesday.

This concerted, coordinated attack on Americans' constitutionally protected abortion rights (and the further attack on birth control) isn't new, but has picked up pace and efficacy in recent years, with dozens upon dozens of new, increasingly onerous restrictions placed on women across the country. And yet — for all the sound and fury (and threats and murderous violence) — there's one thing that America's anti-abortion activists never seem to recall: Babies require sperm.

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Emily L. Hauser

Emily L. Hauser is a long-time commentary writer. Her work has appeared in a variety of outlets, including The Daily Beast, Haaretz, The Forward, Chicago Tribune, and The Dallas Morning News, where she has looked at a wide range of topics, from helmet laws to forgetfulness to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.