The need for reliable child support and for dads to be responsible for their offspring used to be a mainline feminist position. It certainly has the backing of mothers. Now, according to a new drummed up controversy involving Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, it’s just another Republican, Handmaids Tale-esque mechanism of patriarchal control. According to the Newsweek article where this was reported: 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been ridiculed after suggesting that one way to reduce abortions is to require men to pay child support from the moment of conception. 

The widespread ridicule that Newsweek highlighted included some choice Tweets, some of which got zero engagement: 

• “I’m so sure every man will LOVE this as much as women LOVE having their reproductive rights taken from them!!!” 
• “Republicans keep digging their political grave when they talk about abortion. Especially when it’s men like Ron DeSantis. They are never going to get around this issue because they are hopelessly out of touch with most Americans.” 
• “This is a great way to ensure that the Republicans never win a presidential election again. Paying for child support when the kid isn’t even born makes no f***ing sense whatsoever.” 

This outrage is just so much election year theatrics. Hilariously enough, the talk about it being impossible to enforce has also come from the pro-abortion side that has argued for mass forced vasectomies, a national sex strike, and yes, even the very same child support payments from conception that drove them mad. According to a study conducted by Bucknell University: 

“Most states require a man who gets a woman pregnant and does not want to get married and stay in close contact with her, to begin child support payments when the child is born. Would you favor, oppose, or either favor nor oppose a law that instead said that child support payments should begin with the child is conceived?” 

Not only did the Democrats support this at a rate of 53% in favor, the “pro-choice” respondents agreed with it at a higher rate than the “pro-life” survey participants. Democratic Women were the group most likely to support this proposal, according to the study.  

DeSantis isn’t out of touch – he’s right on the money. But what he’s talking about is hardly a new idea – Senators Marco Rubio and Kevin Cramer proposed this as recently as last year. Many Conservative commentators have likewise voiced similar accountability for deadbeat dads and fathers who abandon their pregnant partners. This is – child support is the patriarchy now, apparently. 

DeSantis was also quoted in the article as saying:  

“Most of these women do not want to have abortions, but they feel like they have no other options because they get no support and that’s because a lot of these men are nowhere to be found.” 

Men “should absolutely be providing support,” DeSantis added. “They should absolutely be held accountable.” 

What DeSantis said is 100% correct: Fathers should support their children. Knowing that they can’t walk away may be just the incentive some men need to think more carefully about their choices.  It’s just common sense that a policy that keeps men accountable will increase the odds that they don’t take the risk at all. 

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