Quote:
Originally Posted by Jermyn Davidson
Will you please elaborate on this?
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In a 2005 study, 73% of women undergoing an abortion said not being able to afford a baby now was a reason for the abortion. That number rose to 81% for women below the federal poverty line. And while the abortion rate for American women declined by 8% between 2000 and 2008, among poor American women it increased by 18%.
I look at social democracies like Belgium and Switzerland. They are liberal prochoice nations. Less than 10 per every 1,000 pregnancies. However, they have the lowest abortion rates in the world. The United State's abortion rate was at its lowest in 2014, nearly 14 per every 1,000 pregnancies. Then look at Mexico. Mexico has tougher abortion laws than the United States, yet their abortion rate is nearly twice the U.S. abortion rate.
The driving force behind abortion isn't the desire to kill. The driving force is the deadly combination of fear and poverty. Most are poor. Most are unmarried or are already single parents. Most don't have health insurance. The younger women are often students.
In a perfect world we should be able to simply tell people not to have sex until they are married and financially stable. But human nature being what it is, people have sex. That means, there will be unplanned pregnancies. That's just a fact of life on this messed up and fallen world.
Now, I'm not a supporter of abortion. I think every abortion is a tragedy. But I look at nations with "tough" abortion laws, and the abortion rates aren't very low at all. However, I look at liberal prochoice nations and find that their abortion rates are very low. Obviously, merely banning abortion isn't a resolution.
What all these countries with lower abortion rates have in common is that they have addressed the following issues:
Comprehensive Sex Education
Contraceptives and Birth Control Availability
Living Wage for Women
Universal Health Insurance
Daycares on Public College Campuses
Comprehensive Mental Health Initiatives
Wide Range of Social Services
Paid Maternity Leave
Domestic Violence
Subsidized Daycare Services
In essence, as a society they have turned their focus on addressing the issues women face when confronted with an unplanned pregnancy. As a result, more women feel secure enough to choose life. Their philosophy is clearly, "If you help the mother, you help the child."
It America, it isn't so. We often shame women who have sex outside of marriage. Sex education is lacking. The most effective means of birth control aren't always covered by health insurance. Women do not typically make a living wage. A significant number of poor and working poor women do not have health insurance. Students are often confronted with the fact that they will have to seek and pay for daycare services. Paid maternity leave is often a luxury. America is woefully lacking when it comes to a public policy on mental health. Outside of charitable groups, we have few resources women in abusive relationships can turn to. Social services are often lacking what is necessary to truly stabilize a single parent household.
A woman with an unplanned pregnancy can be confronted by many things. However, if she's poor... the list is almost endless. Just consider health insurance. Without health insurance coverage for pre-natal, delivery, and post-natal care (if needed) a woman, who is already poor, is looking at tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt. But for roughly $200, an abortion clinic can make all her problems go away.
We want to ban abortion. But merely banning abortion doesn't address the issues that will continue to drive women to want an abortion. If we really want to make an impact and reduce the abortion rate, we have to address the issues women are confronted with when they have an unplanned pregnancy. If we help women... we'll also help the unborn.
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