Can I stop my girlfriend from getting an abortion?
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Can I stop my girlfriend from getting an abortion?
I don’t want my girlfriend to get an abortion due to my religious beliefs. I am willing to pay for the hospital fees.
Asked on April 13, 2011 under Family Law, Washington
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
Short answer: you cannot stop your girlfriend from getting an abortion, period. You may have parental rights over the child, if it is born--and would be responsible for child support in that instance--but that's only after birth. While a woman is pregnant, abortion is a matter of her control over her body and her right to make her own medical decisions; the law does not grant a man the right to force a woman to go through pregnancy or bear a child.
You can of course discuss the matter with her, offer to pay hospital fees, child support--even offer to raise the child solely yourself--but it remains her choice what to do.
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