Does sex carry parental responsibilities?

Yes—willingly engaging in sex does carry parental responsibilities, because sex is an action known to sometimes result in the creation of a dependent human being. When someone freely chooses an action while understanding its possible outcomes, responsibility for those outcomes follows. Pregnancy is not an arbitrary accident disconnected from choice; it is a foreseeable result of an activity people knowingly engage in.

A newborn child is inherently needy and unable to survive without care. When a child comes into existence as a result of someone’s voluntary actions, that person acquires obligations toward the child simply because the child exists and is vulnerable. At the most basic level, this obligation includes not killing the child.

An analogy helps clarify the point. Imagine a giant vending machine with a large red button. Pressing the button produces pleasure, and sometimes a newborn baby appears at the bottom. A man presses the button because he wants the pleasure, even though he does not want a baby. If a baby appears anyway, it would be morally absurd to claim he bears no responsibility and can simply walk away and let the child die. His responsibility exists precisely because he knowingly pressed the button, understanding the possible result.

Sex functions the same way. Choosing sex while knowing it can create a child means accepting responsibility for any child that is created. While people may not desire pregnancy, the possibility is known in advance, and that knowledge grounds moral responsibility. The child’s right not to be killed does not depend on being wanted, planned, or convenient.