What about teen fathers’ rights?

In the Sunday Bee, Christi Granillo discussed how teen fathers don’t know they have a right to parent but also the responsibility. She added “years of oppression” of women and “male privilege” to her views.

Thirty years ago, while on the board of a national men’s group, National Coalition for Men, I was the primary caretaker of a son and an infant daughter. I spoke on college campuses and national radio programs about the absence of father’s rights and sexist beliefs about fathers and men taught by feminists.

Teen fathers, treated as enemies by parents of the teen mom, are often pushed away. And despite more child abuse in a single mother’s home compared to a single fathers, women are “awarded” full custody of children based on female privilege. If that isn’t enough, some women falsely claim abuse.

Divorced men who don’t pay child support end up in debtors prison but women who deny visitation rights are rarely are penalized. For years I shared research showing children benefit from fathers in their lives, but one day I added “Fathers need their children too.”

The documentary “The Red Pill” by feminist film maker Cassie Jay challenges sexist stereotypes of fathers.

This story was originally published November 20, 2017 at 3:02 PM with the headline "What about teen fathers’ rights?."