Fatherhood Begins at Conception

Well, "Duh," you say! You'd be right!

My friend and fellow blogger Pastor Steve Hickey at Voices Carry points out an inconsistency from Barack Obama (again, you'd probably say, "Duh") on fatherhood, life, and abortion.

Barack Obama spoke on Father's Day at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago where he said

"We need fathers to recognize that responsibility doesn't just end at conception."

Well, if life doesn't begin at conception, why is there any paternal responsibility at all at conception. Apparently that must only come when the child is successfully born alive. This should leave the father free to watch football until the child is successfully born alive; the mother could give him a call from the hospital to let him know he now has responsibilities.

But if the responsibility of fatherhood does in fact begin at conception, and according to Obama that responsibility doesn't end at conception, then what is the father responsible for?

Is he responsible for a zytoblast in the mother's body? Why would a man be responsible for a nonspecific zytoblast in the mother's body?

Is he responsible for a cytoblast in the mother's body? Why would a man be responsible for a nonspecific cytoblast in the mother's body?

Is he responsible for a zygote in the mother's body? Why would a man be responsible for a nonspecific zygote in the mother's body?

Is he responsible for a blob of tissue in the mother's body? Why would he be responsible for a blob of tissue?

Is he responsible for an organ or another part of the mother's body? Why would he be responsible for an organ or another part of the mother's body?

Is he responsible for a child that he helped place in the mother's body? Would it be appropriate for a father to be responsible for a child he helped place in the mother's body? If so, why would we kill a child in the mother's body?

Is he responsible for another human being with DNA unique from his own or the mothers, that he helped place in the mother's body? Would it be appropriate for a father to be responsible for another human being with DNA unique from his own or the mothers, that he helped place in the mother's body? If so, why would we kill another unique human being with DNA unique from the fathers or the mothers in the mother's body?

If Barack Obama really believes a father's responsibilities don't end at conception, what is the father responsible for and to? And if the father is responsible to a child, another human being, why does Barack Obama believe it is okay to kill that child simply because the mother wants to?