Men and Abortion: Let the Debate Begin!

I am a man. I was also a philosophy major. Most of the time these two facts did not conflict in any meaningful way. Then we had the abortion debate.

Aside from the typical abortion rhetoric of pro-choice vs. pro-life, I found myself wondering how I, as a man, could argue meaningfully on either side of the issue. Sure, I could speculate about when I thought an embryo becomes a person. I could even argue that abortion should not be used as a means of birth control in lieu of condoms, the pill, etc. (and no, I don't actually think that it is used this way). The problem that I faced was a very simple question: How could I argue meaningfully for or against abortion when I will never have to make that choice.

How can I have an opinion on a situation that I will never face? On a choice that I will never have to make? How could I argue that Mary shouldn't have an abortion when I will never be in that situation?

An even more controversial issue is what rights a man should have as a potential father. There is a tangled web of relationships at play in situations like this and an equally complex line of questioning. Should the man have a say in whether the woman he impregnated keeps the child? What about teens who are still under their parents care? What if the woman's life is at stake--either from the pregnancy or from having to continue a relationship with an abusive partner?

What do you all think? Should a husband have rights to an unborn child? Should a boyfriend?

In an ideal world, would men have any say whatsoever over a situation that they will never have to personally experience?