You said the mother "had the rights and agency not to get pregnant in the first place". Contraception is imperfect, so the only way for a fertile woman to avoid getting pregnant for sure is to not have sex. So you are proposing that women who do not want a child (or another child) completely abstain from sex? For perhaps decades? Even if married?
Would you propose the same for men who do not want to father a child - complete abstention from intercourse with women of child-bearing age? Again, even if married?
Even if you would advocate for such a vast social change, I challenge you to provide me with one example of a society, in any historical period, where such a massive absention from sex occurred. I certainly can't think of one, and would suggest that such a proposal is completely unrealistic.
“ So you are proposing that women who do not want a child (or another child) completely abstain from sex?”
If they don’t want to deal with the potential consequences of sex, then yes.
“ Would you propose the same for men who do not want to father a child - complete abstention from intercourse with women of child-bearing age?”
If they don’t want to deal with the potential consequences of sex, then yes.
In reality, people don’t have to abstain from sex. They just have to not kill the child they created from sex. They do not then have to raise the child. That’s what adoption is for.
And I would encourage you to research postpartum abstinence. Many cultures abstained from sex after the birth of a child to practice ideal child spacing.
You said the mother "had the rights and agency not to get pregnant in the first place". Contraception is imperfect, so the only way for a fertile woman to avoid getting pregnant for sure is to not have sex. So you are proposing that women who do not want a child (or another child) completely abstain from sex? For perhaps decades? Even if married?
Would you propose the same for men who do not want to father a child - complete abstention from intercourse with women of child-bearing age? Again, even if married?
Even if you would advocate for such a vast social change, I challenge you to provide me with one example of a society, in any historical period, where such a massive absention from sex occurred. I certainly can't think of one, and would suggest that such a proposal is completely unrealistic.
“ So you are proposing that women who do not want a child (or another child) completely abstain from sex?”
If they don’t want to deal with the potential consequences of sex, then yes.
“ Would you propose the same for men who do not want to father a child - complete abstention from intercourse with women of child-bearing age?”
If they don’t want to deal with the potential consequences of sex, then yes.
In reality, people don’t have to abstain from sex. They just have to not kill the child they created from sex. They do not then have to raise the child. That’s what adoption is for.
And I would encourage you to research postpartum abstinence. Many cultures abstained from sex after the birth of a child to practice ideal child spacing.