# If after sex, anyone of the two, the guy or the girl could get pregnant **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 18, 2003, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331 "2003-03-18T18:21:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331/21 "2003-03-19T06:08:36Z")
Is that site a spoof, **DrMatrix**? _hoping so_ ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331/22 "2003-03-19T06:40:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Goo \* > \*\*Because I do not want to be a parent, whether or not the child incubates in my body or his. If it’s in my body, I can abort it, if it’s in his, I have to hope he won’t have a change of heart. \*\* Now that would be interesting, women would be in the same position as men in that regard. Women might get stuck paying 18 years of child support to a man who chose to have the baby while the woman didn’t want it. ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331/23 "2003-03-19T06:45:14Z")
Exactly, **Rexdart.** 🙂 I’m not prepared to entrust my future in the hands of someone else. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331/24 "2003-03-19T07:29:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by \*\*\*istara \*\* > > Is that site a spoof, **DrMatrix**? Yep. It’s a spoof. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331/25 "2003-03-19T09:11:30Z")
Is there actually any danger of a debate breaking out in this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331/26 "2003-03-19T12:14:42Z")
For the sake of debate… **Lovey** , your OP is unconvincing. We shouldn’t imagine what would happen if, after sex, the guy or the girl could get pregnant, because that answer to that question would quite possibly drive us all _insane_. As reported by a [media source](http://rtf.kracked.com/sealab03.html), the answer to the question of “What if you could put your brain inside a robot body?” is capable of driving people insane. The situation you describe is equally far-fetched, and it could have the same effect. Therefore, one shouldn’t ponder it without a good reason, which your OP fails to provide. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331/27 "2003-03-19T13:47:19Z")
i’d like it if you could choose who carried the child, that way the healthier one, or the one with the least well-paying job etc, could have the baby and take maternity leave. it would make life easier. but randomly…not so good. ---
**Author:** ![nogginhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5e9695/32.png) [@nogginhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nogginhead)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331/28 "2003-03-19T14:24:15Z")
Well it’s already the case that the one with the less-well-paying job gets pregnant. For the most part. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331/29 "2003-03-19T14:42:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > \*\*Is there actually any danger of a debate breaking out in this thread? \*\* Perhaps. I think you need to defend your ridiculous opposition to the Chris Patten pregnant in Holland scenario. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331/30 "2003-03-19T14:43:54Z")
> [@](#): > > To those who claim there would be more oral an anal sex- why? Assuming there is the same possibility of pregnancy, why would the man being pregnant suddenly change things so much? Because I don’t EVER want kids, at all, any way, any how. I can trust myself to make sure that never happens by whatever means I’ve got to use. I couldn’t do the same if a guy could get pregnant and force me to be a mother and pay child support for a kid I never wanted, don’t want, and will never want. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331/31 "2003-03-19T15:09:25Z")
And look, a potential debate! Isn’t there an argument here for a **joint** decision about abortions? So far we have two women who wouldn’t want to have that power in the hands of the other half. But current argument (not theirs, let me note) holds that an abortion decision is entirely the choice of the one who’s carrying the baby. I think there’s room for discussion there. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331/32 "2003-03-19T16:11:53Z")
If guys could get pregnant from sex, abortions would be much easier to obtain, and their continued legality would not remotely be at risk. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331/33 "2003-03-19T16:24:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jonathan Chance \* > \*\*And look, a potential debate! > > Isn’t there an argument here for a **joint** decision about abortions? > > So far we have two women who wouldn’t want to have that power in the hands of the other half. But current argument (not theirs, let me note) holds that an abortion decision is entirely the choice of the one who’s carrying the baby. > \*\* And both have said that–under those circumstances–they’d choose to NOT put themselves in the position where someone else could make that decision. By opting for abstinance, sterilization, oral, or anal activities over free-for-all nookie. Which is exactly the same choice that men currently have. As for the OP–I think BC would probably be covered by all insurances, no questions asked. Ahhhh, wouldn’t _that_ be lovely? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331/34 "2003-03-19T16:32:58Z")
Every time that recurrent debate about “How come women can abort but men can’t demand an abortion take place and still have to pay child support” crops up, I find myself thinking in terms of a precoital contract. They could be drawn up as “It is understood that if conception occurs no abortion will take place unless risk to the mother’s health or life blah blah blah…” or as “It is understood that if conception takes place abortion must follow or in its absence the mother accepts full financial responsibility…” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-after-sex-anyone-of-the-two-the-guy-or-the-girl-could-get-pregnant/162331.md?page=1)