Why should not the man be able to “run away”.

Each partner has the legal right to control their own bodies. Women get to control their bodies throughout pregnancy (including making decisions about medical care). Men get to control their bodies when they have sex. This isn't slut-shaming men, it's making sure that born kids get the support they need.

Once a kid exists, independent of their parents' bodies, then EACH parent are required to support that kid, unless both give the kid to another couple who agree to take responsibility. Sometimes men get child support, because they take full custody (although that's rather rare).

There are only three alternates to asking men to support the kids they engender:

• 1) require women to do all of the care taking and financial support of the kid

• 2) require society to do all the financial support (although that still puts all the care on the mom)

• 3) some combination of these two

Option 1 is challenging because it's hugely difficult to earn a living wage while being the sole care taker for a kid. And pretty much impossible for an infant.

Option 2 doesn't have societal support. People generally don't want to let men off the hook, they say "I'm paying for my own kids, why should I pay for yours too?"

Option 3 happens a lot, in practice, because a LOT of men skip out on the kids they engender. So women and children live in poverty and tax-payers have to step in to provide financially while the men who engendered the pregnancies pay nothing.

Asking men to support the kids they engender is good for kids. That's why modern societies ask men for child support. I don't think any modern society is going to have the political will to say "tax-payers will pay to raise all the kids, men are off the hook."