If he is the father doesnt he have the right to know? If he is not, then it might be better if you kept it to yourself....

Well, you clarified "notify" and gee it still makes this question kind of sticky. But I will say NO with the expectation of getting lots of backlash. With that said I will give you my reasoning. I think that if I woman chooses to terminate a pregnancy even if she is married it is ultimately her choice this unfortunately means she should not have to inform anyone if she chooses. Also just because she is married there could be reasons for her choice to have an abortion, anything from infidelity, to a dissolution of a marriage, both very valid and personal reasons. But the idea that a married woman in a "good" marriage making this type of decision without talking to her husband is kind of sad.

yes

Yes, cuz they are always complaining that "IT MAKES 2 TO HAVE A BABY!"...So what does that mean, its somebody elses baby also...besides their own.....So they have just the same right...to want to keep it, than the woman does.

At the bare minimum he should be informed, but if you are married the purpose of marriage is to have children together, and abortion as a married woman is insanity.

not REQUIRED to, but if she is a decent human being then she would anyway. but there are circumstances beyond that rule.

Morally yes, legally no.

Required by whom? I think she should inform him, and I think they should work out together whether terminating the pregnancy is the only option. Is there some way that the pregnancy could be carried to term? Is there some way that they could raise the child, or give it up for adoption? I think it would be a really, really wonderful world if every single marital relationship in the world allowed for that kind of discussion and shared decision making and mutual support. We're not there. I don't like abortion. But I've never met anybody who does. (And I'm a gay guy, so I don't have a direct stake in this question. But, in a sense, I do because I have a sister and nieces who I both love and trust, and I don't want to see politicians dictating to them what choices are available to them.) I think some people want to use a cookie cutter approach to this question -- and they fashion the cookie cutter in the shape of the ideal they hope will be true, rather than in the shape of the reality that exists. Unfortunately, this approach ignores all the people (and there are many) who would be cut out. I think that any woman who finds herself with an unwanted pregnancy, or one she's afraid she can't handle, will reach out for the support and resources that are available to her. Sometimes, though, in the complex world of human beings, there won't be any or those that are there won't be enough. So, at the end of the day, I don't think anyone else can tell a pregnant woman how to handle this. Because these situations are as diverse as the women themselves, and their circumstances, are. An individual woman is the only one who can know enough about her own circumstances to be able to make the decision. And that's why I'm pro-choice.

nope, it is her choice.

I don't think she's required to inform her husband. However, if she doesn't want to live all burdened with the knowing that she did the abortion without her husband knowing the existence of her fetus, then she should.

Not legally, but morally.

Yes, a woman should not only inform, but should have, to have consent from her husband, before getting an abortion. After all, it's his baby too, that she will be murdering. The only way his consent should be over ridden, is if the woman needs an abortion because her life would be in danger, if she went through with the pregnancy.

Yes. Marriage makes two people into one. All such important decisions must be discussed rationally. Ultimately however, it is her body so she makes the final decision.

No. That would suggest passing a law and who will enforce it? Whose word do you take whether the husband knew or not? Sorry, but that should not be a legal issues.

Didn't you get the memo? She doesn't EVER have to tell him, abortion or not. Fathers have no rights, only responsibilities.

No. I would consider not doing it as a form of betrayal, though.

You have to think from a women's perspective, having a baby does nothing to the father but the mother has to carry the baby, give birth... Her body changes, they can't keep working all the time, yet what does the father give up. Sure they should know but if the mums already chosen to give it up, then the father just saying no still wont change anything..

The easy answer for me here is to say, notify - yes, get consent - no. I do think things like this will depend on the circumstances. I wouldn't have anything agaist a battered woman getting an abortion behind her husband/boyfriends back.

Nope.

I am a male and anti abortion ... I would leave my wife if she did so without talking first. If it meant losing her as my wife for the loss of an innocent little life? ... I would ask her this >>> Why not give the life its due right and let me take care of him or her, if you still choose not to be a part of us as a family following your decision not to kill? ... then goodbye, we will be fine. No offense intended. >♥< each life

No. Should she? Under most circumstances, yeah. But legally, no.

In a perfect world you'd want a child from your union. In a perfect world you'd share all your feelings and concerns with your spouse. you would love and honor each other without fear. In a perfect world. We don't live in that perfect world. Peace be with you.

The law and our culture are increasingly anti-father, as the answers to this question demonstrate. It's no wonder 2 parent families are becoming a rarity.

A very good question, and most excellently phrased, too. +5 right off the bat. I'm probably going to take a few DR's over this, but as many of you know I could care less about people who DR me over matters for which I have strong ethical concerns. Let me start off by saying that anyone who wants to learn more about my opinions and my views on abortion itself can go to my profile and find the applicable links. I've discussed this in great detail before and have no intention of rehashing all that here, unless people have specific questions about my personal stand. This question does not ask if abortion is right or wrong; if it's murder or not; or whether it should or should not be legal. Rather, this question is concerned with whether or not a married woman MUST inform her husband prior to getting an abortion. And further, it also stipulates that CONSENT, or PERMISSION, is NOT what is being asked here. Very well. It is my opinion that when a man and a woman decide to marry, they are obligating themselves to a great deal of changes and a great deal of duties, obligations, and responsibilities, both to themselves AND TO THEIR SPOUSE. A married couple, spiritually and legally, become ONE ENTITY. They are a unit, the core of a family, and as such nothing and no-one should be allowed to come between them. In this sense, the "self" now becomes part of a greater whole as a married couple and is no longer the sole focus of the individual. Rather, the "self" MUST evaluate all actions as to the effect on the "couple". The traditional wedding vows: "...to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part." are SUPPOSED to indicate the level of dedication of EACH person to their spouse and the principle of the family as a unit. With respect to matters of sex and pregnancy: Sex is an important expression of love and desire between man and wife. It is a level of intimacy like no other. It is a total surrender of inhibitions and the ultimate in trust. It is a deeply emotional bonding action. Sex is thus more than just a romp in the hay with one or both people getting their rocks off. And PART of the responsibilities of a married couple engaging in sex is the realization that pregnancy MAY result, be it planned or unplanned. That said, when a married couple is expecting a child, for the woman to UNILATERALLY decide to abort the child WITH OR WITHOUT INFORMING THE HUSBAND is morally and ethically WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! It is a violation of the trust and honesty that a couple MUST cultivate and cherish in order to survive. It is a sacrifice of honor and respect. NOTE: I have INTENTIONALLY left the subject of the morality of abortion itself OUT of the body of my answer. It is irrelevant to the question at hand. As I said before, if you are interested in my stand on abortion itself, visit my profile for the appropriate links.

I think that the father of the child, whether married to the mother or not, should have the right to stand up and say, "THIS IS MY CHILD TOO! THIS IS MY FLESH, MY BLOOD, MY DNA" and I want to raise it. And should be able to go to court to obtain custody of the baby. While true, that the mother must go thru the pregnancy, the labor and the delivery, there is much more to deal with over the course of the next 18 yrs. As long as the father is willing to raise the baby, he should be able to.

I think a married woman should inform her husband prior to getting an abortion if that is what she is wanting & planning to do. They are married & he is the would-be father, so he should also have a big say in that.

If you want the marriage to last, you need his consent, at the very least you need his understanding. This child, I assume is be his too, and he has a lot at stake in making this life. If the child isn't his, then there's a lot more to the story, but you still need his understanding.

She should not only be legally required to inform him, but gain his concent unless in extreme circumstances. The creation of a child is a two part job, and, thusly, needs to be the same to terminate that child. If you want equality, that is one of the things you need to accept. Listening to other people, and occasioanlyl being required to do what they say.

If she doesn't care enough to at least inform him, she should at least have the decency to divorce him.

I don't see what being married has to do with it. If you aren't married, who are you required to tell? Why does being married mean you have to inform him? It may not even be his child. Some people have open relationships. Also, maybe the husband is abusive and controlling and having his baby would make a woman more stuck in the marriage and unable to escape. Husbands can rape their wives. There are a lot of situations where it could be dangerous or unwise to inform a husband. I was married to a very abusive man for a short time when I was young, and I KNOW that if I had decided to get an abortion when we were married and he found out he probably would have killed me. He would have been enraged and convinced I was cheating, even though I never did cheat on him. There are reasons a woman may want to keep an abortion to herself.

No woman should be forced to become an incubator against her will. Even if that requires her to keep her decision from her husband.