Like P's in a Pod

The human male’s contribution of sperm to the process of procreation has yet to be artificially substituted. Yes, through artificial insemination the means of delivery and reception have taken on new dimensions, but technology has yet to produce an artificial sperm. Thus, the human male is—at least for now—irreplaceable with regard to the propagation of the species.

The subsequent contributions of the male to the development of the offspring are more ambiguous, but they may be the defining qualities of a father. To provide for the well-being of the newborn and its mother seems natural enough, but an even superficial scan of the human landscape quickly reveals that this is a choice, not a requirement. I acknowledge that, because of what I do forty hours a week, I have developed a jaundiced outlook toward this facet of fatherhood.

To provide for a family may eventually include its protection. In contemporary American society this can be accomplished in a variety of abstractions ranging from income to shelter that don’t necessarily involve hand-to-hand combat. A nuclear family very likely will need some form of protection in order to survive, and with the mother being responsible for nourishing and sustaining the newborn in ways that are uniquely female the role of protector naturally falls to the father.

All of these attributes are volitional in nature. In other words, a male becomes a father and a female becomes a mother by choosing to do so. Evidence surrounds us that the choice to procreate, provide and protect are not involuntary or instinctual. Perhaps this is not true for much of the animal kingdom, but for humans becoming a good parent is a matter of choice.