It's not about embarassing them...in fact, it's not about them at all.
They aren't "doing the right thing," BTW...they're making the best of a bad situation, most surely of their own making.
Contrast the rights and responsibilites of fathers in this case, and the rights and responsibilities of mothers...and the options afforded each.
Embarassment seems like a minor issue. It seems more true each day...men have responsibilities, and women have options.
I'm not disputing that they got themselves into their situation. However, I do consider having the child and giving it up for adoption the "right thing" compared to having an abortion.
People make mistakes. Sometimes they make really bad mistakes. However, making a bad mistake in the past doesn't make subsequent good decisions bad by association.
It's not about embarassing them...in fact, it's not about them at all.
It is about them as well. Both the parents are equally guilty. However, the mother had to bear that child during the pregnancy, face the stigma of having it be physically obvious that she screwed up in a very big way.
However, the father unquestionably has a right to know that he is a father, and I don't see any way around a broad public announcement if the mother does not know or claims not to know who the father is.
Contrast the rights and responsibilites of fathers in this case, and the rights and responsibilities of mothers...and the options afforded each.
I agree that the father has rights, and that those must be observed. I only meant that I didn't see a need to embarrass the mother further if it could be avoided. This registry is not remotely close to an acceptable way of notifying the father.
Embarassment seems like a minor issue.
The only place where embarrassment for having done something wrong is minor in a truly amoral society or for a amoral person. If the mother is an amoral person, why did she choose to have the baby and give it up for adoption instead of having an abortion.
It seems more true each day...men have responsibilities, and women have options.
When the mother chose to bear the burden of having the child out of wedlock and giving it up for adoption, she accepted responsibility for her actions. The father in such a case has not had the opportunity to accept or try to reject his responsibility, but your comment that seems to indicate that she doesn't accept or acknowledge her responsibility is very much out of line.