At this time, all issues related to body autonomy and abortion are almost considered taboo in most of the country. However, there are still some states that do allow abortions without legal repercussions. Besides, whether it is legal or not is not the issue in this Reddit case. The problem here is that a man in Washington feels that his ex-girlfriend’s abortion is more like an extortion. What’s worse is that the ex-girlfriend is being overly suspicious about the whole situation, and he doesn’t know if the baby is his.
Redditor Independent_Slice494 shared on r/legaladvice how his ex just contacted him to tell him she is pregnant and she is sure OP is the father. OP, for his part, presented his case on the assumption that he is the father. So he agreed to pay all medical expenses related to the ex’s abortion. This payment could also include a trip to her country, in case she prefers to undergo the procedure there, as she’s temporarily in the US for work.
Now, the problem, and what makes this Washington man believe that his ex-girlfriend is making an extortion attempt, is that he paid for a couple of medical consults to give her the abortion pill, but she didn’t show up. These consultations were not cheap, as each one cost $250. The worst thing is that the ex is asking for “additional expenses” for the abortion. But far from being necessary things, it is money for the spa, clothes, to get her nails done, and anything else. She refuses to go through with the abortion if OP doesn’t give her all the money up front. The ex even refused to let OP pay the provider directly or reimburse her the money.
It’s not extortion but two points worth bringing up:
billehalliday
-if she’s missing or stalling the appointments, it’s possible she’s trying to run out of time to get the abortion. If such is the case and she carries to term, do not sign anything or commit to anything without a paternity test.
-she’ll claim she’ll get the procedure with a trusted party or that she wants to do it without you. If that’s the case there’s quite possibly no baby and she’s trying to scam you.
Among the other comments, all, or at least almost all, of the redditors agree that it is not extortion, but rather a scam. Not only that, but they ask OP to ask for a paternity test. Others even believe that there is no baby, and said that OP must ask for a pregnancy test first. The most concerned redditors advised the OP to make a backup of all conversations and other information about the ex. But above all, many more advised OP not to give a single penny more until he verifies if there is a baby and if it is really his.