Partner Responsibility

My partner might be pregnant. What’s our first step?

Whether your partner’s experiencing common signs and symptoms of pregnancy, or has actually had a positive home pregnancy test, your first step should be to confirm that they are indeed pregnant with a viable pregnancy. Between 10-25% of known pregnancies will end naturally in miscarriage, so it is a good idea to first find out if the pregnancy is even viable before trying to decide what to do about it. ⁽⁵⁾ The best way to confirm a viable pregnancy is with an ultrasound. Focus Women’s Center offers free ultrasounds to some of our pregnant patients as part of our Pregnancy Verification and Consultation appointment. You can call or text us at 815-322-1585 to schedule an appointment today.

As the partner, do I have a say in the decision? ^{(3, 4, 6, 7)}

While you can voice your opinion and wishes, you cannot force your partner into any decision – and neither can anyone’s parents. Legally, the final decision between parenting and abortion is up to the one carrying the pregnancy, and your consent is not required – even if you are married. If your partner decides to parent the baby, you may be held responsible for child support payments.

However, if your partner wants to place the baby for adoption, you do have some legal rights as the father. It is important to know that depending on your situation, your rights may be forfeited if you don’t act within a certain time frame of the baby’s birth. You should seek legal counsel as soon as possible so that you know how to proceed. For more information on your rights as a birth parent, go here.

My partner just tested positive for an STD …now what? ^{(1, 2)}

If your partner just tested positive for an STD/STI, there are a couple important things to understand:

• Before blaming anyone, you should know that many STDs don’t show any symptoms – so it is possible to have an STD and not even be aware of it. You or your partner may have contracted it from a previous sexual partner without even knowing it.
• It is important for you to get tested and treated as well. Untreated STD/STIs can cause serious health problems.
• You should abstain from sexual contact until both of you have been treated and are sure the infection is gone to avoid re-infecting one another.

While Focus Women’s Center offers free chlamydia and gonorrhea testing to some of our pregnant patients, we do not test their partners. To find free or low cost STD/STI testing near you check here.