A drafted opinion from the Supreme Court was recently leaked to the public. Why is this important? The leaked draft contained information on how our Supreme Court judges will eventually vote to strike down Roe v. Wade, which will give each state the right to create their own laws regarding abortions.
This is a big deal. It will drastically change the access to abortion clinics and services for pregnant women who reside in certain states with abortion restrictions, ultimately forcing them to meet specific criteria in order to get an abortion.
What is Abortion?
An abortion is defined as literally any procedure done with intention to terminate a pregnancy, whether it’s a surgical procedure or by taking medication. As a young man I remember seeing gruesome images of aborted babies (click here to view various images). All to say, visually seeing the images of aborted babies has played a major part in my personal perspective towards abortions.
Top Reasons Women Want Abortions
The main reasons why most women get abortions deal with lifestyle preferences and financial instability. Less than 10 percent of women cite health concerns for themselves or for their fetus as their most important reason for abortion. The large majority of women who seek abortions don’t want the extra burden of having a baby, as it would drastically affect their lifestyle, or they simply don’t feel they have enough money to afford a baby. (Published study-Guttmacher Institute)
Medicaid (which is a federal healthcare program) doesn’t cover all abortions, they will cover abortions if a woman is a victim of rape, incest, and in cases where the pregnancy is endangering the life of the mother. Federal law mandates all states to pay for abortion cases involving rape or incest.
So, how much does it cost to have an abortion? It depends. There are various types of abortions. The major determinants of the price is where you get it from (hospital or clinic) and how far along the mother is into pregnancy. Generally, the price ranges from $500 – $2500.
The Nation’s Desire to make Women More Self-Sufficient
In the 1960s poor American families were going through a lot. Though civil rights injustices towards African-Americans were the central theme of the decade, people of all races faced financial hardships. In 1964 Congress passed a civil rights legislation called the Economic Opportunity Act. This legislation helped millions of Americans, it created SNAP benefits (formally known as food stamps); Medicaid; Medicare; Head Start program; and expanded Social Security.
Prior to Roe v. Wade, women bore the brunt of any unplanned pregnancy.
Especially in the black community, many women were forced to make huge sacrifices for their families because of unplanned pregnancies and their inability to access birth control. In many broken homes those women became honored matriarchs, while black men were dishonored and misunderstood. I believe poverty coupled with unplanned pregnancies, were contributing factors to how many now prejudge black men as poor fathers and husbands.
On May 9, 1960, the FDA approved the world’s first commercially produced birth control pill. This granted reproductive freedom to American women. However, poor women did not have access to them, nor did unmarried women in some cases.
So, poor women really struggled during these times. They couldn’t control their family size, which hindered their ability to take advantage of many education or economic opportunities.
In the early 1970s, with the intention to empower poor women to gain more economic and social opportunity, Congress enacted Title X (which funded reproductive health services to low-income women) and abortion was legalized through the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.
Impact of Roe v. Wade
In present day, women comprise more than half of the workforce, are able to work for themselves, and earn higher salaries than ever before. About half of women say they out-earn or make the same amount as their husbands or partners (according to a new survey from TD Ameritrade).
Birth control and legalized abortion is directly linked to our nation’s desire to improve the lifestyles of poor woman and end the war on poverty, with the goal to make women more self-sufficient and economically stable. This is one of the main reasons why most financially secure women are Pro-Choice… even if they are Pro-Life on Sunday mornings.
The family is one of the most important things in life. What is a family? To me, a family consists of a father, a mother and a child. I want a family.
All children matter… whether born or unborn, or if they come from a stable or broken home. A child impacts their family. A family impacts their community. A community impacts their city. And so on and so on.
Does life begin at conception? Is abortion murder? Are fetuses incapable of pain? Is abortion immoral? Are women who choose to have an abortion more likely to suffer from mental health issues? Why do men have nipples? I don’t know.
We all have our own personal opinions and biases. Abortion is a complicated issue. There are a range of health and moral concerns involved when any life is taken. In the 1970s, any unmarried woman with an unplanned pregnancy faced a great disadvantage. Today, the same woman in the same situation, has job and education opportunities which are available virtually (in the comfort of her own home), along with a variety of birth control options.
Killing an unborn child should never be a choice based off a lifestyle preference.
One of my favorite poems is called The Road Not Taken, it’s written by Robert Frost probably around 100 years ago. The final line in the poem says, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I… I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
Since I have an opinion on this issue, I will take a stand on it. I stand on the side of Pro-Life, even though I have empathy and love for anyone who stands with those who advocate Pro-Choice.