Not even science fiction foresaw the end of fathers

John Patten

3 May 2008

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill seeks to end the child’s right to a father figure, writes John Patten, ignoring all sound research in its obsession with ‘discrimination’

One does not have to be some demented familista to assert this, for not only does ‘research prove...’, it does so from left to right and back again. And oh yes, there are bad, evil and abusive fathers — but then there are mothers who are cut from the same length of behavioural cloth. Even the Equal Opportunities Commission of blessed memory had research since the beginning of this decade that shows that children whose fathers had been actively involved in their lives not only do demonstrably better with achievement and personal satisfaction, but end up with better relationships.

While fatherhood is not some universal panacea or miracle nostrum for all known personal or social ills, it is very important for boys. Of often entirely understandable necessity because of circumstance, the real world role model in a family sans father is the caring mother, aunt, grandmother, plus or minus some other co-residing female. In such settings, the key element in forming boys’ mental maps of what they are or who they should be too often comes from some video game or film, in their turn larded with violence or studded with ‘heroes’ whose relationships with the opposite sex are not exactly of the finest. Girls benefit in parallel.

Even an H.G. Wells or a C.S. Lewis accurately predicting the dominance of the hybridising tendency among the scientific and governing classes never dared foretell the incipient death of fatherhood by some government fiat. Rather like the child questioning his mother on the purposes of Randolph Churchill, spotted out canvassing during an election, they never dreamt up 21st-century children out for a stroll with their supportive parenting network pointing and asking, ‘What is that man for?’

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pj

May 1st, 2008 8:07am Report this comment

'Not even science fiction foresaw the end of fathers'
Er, except it did in countless novels & short stories usually going on to explore the dystopia that resulted. I do however recall one novel from the 70's feminist press that thought it was a good idea....

Dwight Vandryver

May 1st, 2008 11:49pm Report this comment

Judging by the Jeremy Kyle show, it would seem that a child's right to a mother figure should also be denied. Never mind, in the not so distant future, as Huxley forecasted, we will all emerge from Hatcheries by a process of decanting. Babes will be reared by suitably qualified personnel, and after 18 years, the model citizens will be able to enter a mature, stable and unthinking society: the ultimate nanny state - how New Labour must be looking forward to its coming!

Hereford

May 6th, 2008 11:03am Report this comment

Actually Science Fiction did see the end of fathers - Who Needs Men, Edmund Cooper 1974

David Kay

May 7th, 2008 7:34pm Report this comment

The corollary must be that mothers are also not to be essential for a child - unless ths is not a provision of the Bill in which case it is discriminatory. A Spectator rant unfortunately - does anybody know what the real situation is with the Bill?