By Martha Burk
Like it or not, abortion access has always been viewed as a “women’s problem.” Men rarely talked about it, at least not publicly, and it didn’t seem to rank very high on their list of political priorities.
Not anymore.
Since Donald Trump proudly took credit for overturning Roe v. Wade with his anti-choice Supreme Court appointments, men have been forced to pay more attention — particularly in red states with the most restrictive abortion policies.
As the costs of extreme abortion bans have mounted, men have seen their partners forced to delay or forgo essential medical care — whether bleeding out in emergency room parking lots while suffering a miscarriage or taking on the huge expense of traveling between states. In extreme cases, they’ve seen their partners die.
Husbands with wives who’ve been denied care when a pregnancy goes wrong are now waking up and speaking out.
As a recent Washington Post article highlighted, one such couple had to drive 400 miles from their home in Arkansas to reach an Illinois clinic willing to end a pregnancy with a malformed fetus that would be stillborn if carried to term. The ordeal was enough to convert the husband from abortion opponent to pro-choice advocate working to get an abortion measure on the state ballot.
In states that ban abortion, virtually all clinics have closed since the Dobbs decision obliterated a woman’s right to control her own body. Facilities in bordering states have meanwhile been inundated with pleas from desperate couples seeking help.
More and more men are stepping up and joining Men4Choice, a national organization dedicated to recruiting men in the fight for safe and legal abortion. The group hosts community education events with young pro-choice men and organizes Get Out the Vote events mobilizing hundreds of male allies for contacting voters.
“It’s not just about abortion. It’s about freedom. It’s about power,” founder Oren Jacobson told the Post. A prominent ally is second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who helps the group with outreach to broaden their membership.
According to data reported in the New York Times, more than 171,000 patients traveled for an abortion in 2023. That’s double the number who crossed state lines for an abortion in 2019, accounting for nearly a fifth of recorded abortions. It’s a grim reminder of the upheaval in access since the overturn of Roe v. Wade. 2024 data is of course not complete, but there’s no evidence that cross border trips for the procedure have slowed.
Then there are the uncounted casualties of these draconian bans: women unable to travel out of state for an abortion even though they desperately want or need the procedure. That includes women working at low wage jobs who can’t afford to take time off, cover child care costs while they’re away, and pay for gasoline, food, and lodging for the trip.
Who knows how far this could go? Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) has already signaled his support for prosecuting women who cross state lines for abortions. And in some states, zealots are trying to revive the 1873 Comstock Act to make birth control pills illegal.
There’s no reason to think they’ll stop there. Why not limit men’s choices too? Outlaw vasectomies and take condoms off the drug store shelves. Don’t laugh — it could happen.
Bottom line: men, particularly in restrictive red states, are waking up and speaking out. It’s a good bet their numbers will grow, and access to abortion will at last no longer be seen as just a woman’s problem. Because it isn’t.
Martha Burk (@MarthaBurk) is the director of the Corporate Accountability Project for the National Council of Women’s Organizations (NCWO).
The Sour Kraut says
I don’t know where you got your information. Me and all of my male friends have always supported women’s right to choose. You know how I know? Because we talk about it, and not just recently. Ever since the overturning of Roe it has been a common topic. Not all men are knuckle-dragging MAGAphiles.
Deborah Coffey says
This is such good news about the men. At 76, I’ve forgotten how many friends over the years have suffered a problem pregnancy…maybe 10? What I do remember is that every one of their husbands wanted them to get immediate healthcare.
Laurel says
Men have a right to the decision process of their family’s healthcare too! I’m glad they are coming around. Strong men do not want to have their spouse controlled and their family decisions made by the government.
Traditionally, Republicans wanted government out of our bedrooms! Remember?
Republicans, remember?
Laurel says
Sour Kraut: This is not a blanket statement regarding all men, it is covering good men who have mostly left the female body issues to the women in their lives. Now the anti-abortion crowd has gone too far in the attempt to control women, and these good men are stepping up along side of the men who have always been there, and the women they love.
No knuckle dragging intended! :)
United we stand says
Women should rule the world!
spot on says
well, duh! I suppose, though that there are certain folks that could benefit from reading this article, letting the news sink in, and ensuring women have rights over their own healthcare!
Al says
The question is why. The answer is money. Get rid of the kid then the bimbo and they dodged a financial bullet. They also won’t have an albatross hanging around their neck for the next 20 years.
If the doctors on TV that support Roe are so dedicated why don’t they do it for free. It’s a cash cow for them and the hospitals. This is all about money, don’t be fooled.
Chip D says
I’m a conservative who is pro choice but it is very disturbing how the left now characterizes abortion as simply “healthcare”. You guys lump it in like it’s the same as getting a checkup or a blood test.
John says
The Cult Trump party have no right thinking they have the right to control a womans body PERIOD.
Vote yes on 4.
Pierre Tristam says
Chip, I think there’s a fair argument without going to those extremes, in the sense that looking out for the health of the mother is in fact healthcare, especially in instances–in states where even protecting the life of the mother in case of fetal complications is prohibited–where the law literally denies care.
Sherry says
Well Chip. . . if we had a much better educated populace, we would be able to communicate in less “general/simple” terms. Unfortunately, since we do not, the media is too often forced to simplify the complexities of topics such as health care because every word is now politicized.
For example, when a woman is bleeding out on the emergency room floor due to a natural and spontaneous “miscarriage”. . . the extreme right winged media calls it an “abortion” if a D and C is performed. Or, in many states the emergency room doctor is so afraid of being jailed for performing that critical D and C, women are sent away from the emergency room to “bleed out” in the hospital parking lot. . . . where some have died
This is the now horrific state of women’s “health care” in the USA!
Sherry says
@al. . . your words are straight up contemptable and despicable!
Laurel says
Al’s reference to “bimbo” says it all about how he feels about women.
Pam says
God says, I knew you before you were in your mother’s womb. He does not give any circumstance for which a baby should be killed or removed. I’ve known those who were glad they never had an abortion, one who was raped but did not abort, two who had to carry their babies to full term even though their precious babies had died in the womb and one who lost her life do to health related issues during childbirth. Most of the women I’ve listened to use it as a means of birth control. I personally am pro life. If the state regulates and determines the need for an abortion, for whatever a womens needs or choices are, then that is on her, the doctor, the state and last but not least God. I can not support abortion and having two people running for president who do, under certain circumstances, leaves me to vote for the lesser of two evil.
Sherry says
@pam. . . therefore are you even thinking of voting for a “Convicted Felon” who has also been found Guilty of “Sexual Abuse” (rape according to the judge) and defamation of his “victim”. A person found Guilty of “Fraud” (several counts) (AKA criminal lying), and also “Falsifying Business Records”. . . a person who incited a “Violent Insurrection” against our country just so he could hold on to power. Is that the person you will cast your vote for? An adulterer ?
What would your bible say about all the sins against God and crimes against humanity by trump? What does it say about you that you would even consider voting for such a person?
Laurel says
It is interesting that there are people who see no value in the life of the woman. As nature has it, the woman is the most valuable as if only one were to survive, the woman has the opportunity to produce offspring again whereas the fetus does not. Did your God not create nature?