Women’s rights are talked about very frequently, especially when it comes to abortion in Minnesota. It has been a decades-long discussion about whether abortion is morally right and whether it should be legal. However, the focus is usually contained to the rights of the mother, but does a father have any say when it comes to an abortion? The short answer is no.
The Minnesota Statute regarding abortion and informed consent, as displayed by The Office of the Revisor of Statutes, only mentions fathers one time, but it is not in regards to their rights. It to say a father must provide child support should the mother not get an abortion.
According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, though, fathers have no rights when it comes to abortion. This was established by the Supreme Court in the case in 1992. This case set the precedent for several rights when it comes to abortion for women. One of those was whether a woman has to inform her partner that she is getting an abortion.
The Court held that it is a woman’s personal right under the Constitution to privacy in this matter and that states cannot impose upon this right. Basically, the court said the decision to have an abortion is a personal and individual decision that cannot be governed. Thus, the Court ruling made it so states cannot enact laws requiring a woman to inform the father of her child that she is going to get an abortion. This information is for education and is not legal advice.