male abortion and gender equality

Marcus Nilsen, chairman of Liberal Youth of Sweden West

Молодежное крыло Либеральной партии Швеции (LUF Väst) предложило легализовать «мужские аборты», чтобы уравнять мужчин и женщин в праве отказаться от ребенка, сообщает издание The Local.

Согласно проекту, мужчины смогут отказываться от ребенка в течение первых 18 недель беременности у женщины с последующим правом не выплачивать алименты, однако в дальнейшем он не сможет претендовать на отцовские права. 18-недельный срок совпадает с разрешенным для абортов периодом беременности, согласно законам Швеции.

«Это значит, что мужчина сможет отказаться от прав и обязанностей родителя», — отметил представитель LUF Väst, отметив, что это уравняет права мужчин и женщин в вопросе прерывания беременности.

Ист

Sweden may well have among the most accepting views of abortion in the world — one recent poll found that 84 percent of the country supports a woman's right to have an abortion whenever she wants one. Yet a proposal from a Swedish group to offer men the right to a "legal abortion" of an unborn child has not been met with enthusiasm.

The idea, proposed by a regional branch of the youth wing of the centrist Liberal Party, would allow a potential father to legally abdicate his responsibility toward the child up to the 18th week of a woman's pregnancy. The man would lose any rights to visit the child but also would not pay any child support he may otherwise be required to contribute.

Marcus Nilsen, chairman of Liberal Youth of Sweden (LUF) West, told the newspaper Aftonbladet that the idea had actually come from a group of women inside his party. "It is important to discuss the role of men in pregnancy," Nilsen explained, adding that the proposed system would make it clear when men are legally required to play a role in their child's life and when they are not.

"It is important that men are honest with their intentions," he said. "With this proposal, there is a clear legal decision."

The proposal has sparked a debate within Sweden, with some sticking up for the plan and others denouncing it. On Twitter, some Swedes referred to the idea as "madness" and "disgusting" and described the Liberal Party as an April Fools' joke. Even the party's central office was unimpressed with the idea. "We think that the current legislation is good as it is," Eric Aronsson, press officer for the Liberals, told the website Nyheter24.

Johanna Franden, an international football correspondent for Aftonbladet who is based in Paris, was one of the rare voices of support for the idea, explaining on Twitter that she thought it made sense.

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