Why Abortion Bans Aren’t Pro-Life | Robert Reich

Being forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term means:

Families are 4x more likely to live below poverty line

Parents are 3x less likely to have full-time work

Parents are 6x more likely to receive public assistance

Abortion bans aren’t pro-life. They’re pro-poverty.

[michaelthompson]

Has been my opinion living in Texas. With the private prison system being a major campaign donor for the right. The vast majority of abortions would be low income minorities, continuing the trend of poverty, sub par housing, under funded education system the cycle continues. But the private prison system views this as making sure they continue to get product. Having bi racial grandchildren these things have opened my eyes.

[tomservo]

the same pro-life people had the gall to vote against paternity leave

[LS-klbj]

Note also that with the "no abortion after 6 weeks" law in Texas, the rich whites (male and female) legislators didn't make allowance for cases of rape and incest.

[anniejayy]

When I got pregnant, I was already living below the poverty line as well as being a college student. Although I was not on public assistance, I didn’t have any family around to help with anything either. Student loans were my lifeline. If I had this child, I would need to drop out, condemning myself to low paying jobs. How could I afford to bring up a child when it took all I had to survive as it is? What kind of life would s/he have? I decided to get an abortion bc I could not afford to give this child a decent life.
Having an abortion was a traumatic experience and I’m still dealing with it. I still believe that I made the right decision, but I often think about it and wonder what might have been. I’m especially reminded of this on its anniversary.
Fast forward 12 years, I now have 3 university degrees, a career, a husband, and a beautiful son, who is living his best life. I would not have been able to do this if I gave birth that many years ago. It reaffirms that having the abortion was the right thing to do.
Although it gave me my life back, it’s not a point of pride, it’s a point of hurt and heartache that I must live with. I think this is the case with most women. We get abortions bc we have to. I hope my example gives insight into what it’s really like to live with this.

[lamiagumbo]

Something else to keep in mind- forced birthers aren't content to just go after abortions, they're starting to go after rights to birth control. PLEASE VOTE- forced birthers will never give up, and neither can we

[katieg]

They don’t care about the children or mothers. They want to keep the poverty cycle going cause like you said it affects the poor more.

[HiltonHoskins]

@Robert Reich, you pretty much clarified what I've been saying for years about Pro-Lifers not being pro-life and how banning abortion could prove more of a health risk than anything. Thank you so much for doing this.

[Zoki]

You will NEVER hear a Republican talk about a baby after it's born. What kind of life will it have? What is pro-life about crippling the mother's health and having the child live with nothing?

[lunagem]

They aren’t talking about how they will take care of the children, women and men that are affected by this. There is no backing for funding for universal healthcare, economic support, environmental or education opportunities.
Legally With Law Support, Socially or Mentally.

[mtnwriter]

The question always is, "what's in it for the lawmakers" by keeping people impoverished? It's not just reactive (populist) stupidity. There's something in the status quo that keeps them rich and powerful. For them it's not about eliminating poverty. It's about keeping it alive & well. Anti-abortion is just one way.

[helenmelanson]

I think that equating motherhood as punishment for having sex is quite twisted.

[GoodJuju.D]

If Republicans cared about All Americans, not just the wealthy, they would see that by helping raise people/families out of poverty levels and into a comfortable existence it would lower the rate/need for abortions. Not just that, but they'd be helping living breathing Americans. If you are ProLife then help my life, I'm disabled! Help her life, she's a single mother because...none of your business. Help her, she's a veteran. Help him, he has schizophrenia and he's homeless . We're the We in We the People...
Just because I don't own anything of value does Not mean I am without value!

[antoniousai]

I totally agree with this point but there's even a worse one. Women will not stop having abortions if they can't access them legally, so it would drastically increase the possibility of women dying from unwanted pregnancies.

Also, as a plus, looking at the statistics of my country before and after abortion was introduced, the law reduced the amount of abortions pro-capita as well, through a system of counseling and safety nets for the women.

[gwillis]

The standard argument people in favor of these laws use frequently is "If you had kept your knees together and your clothes on, you would not be in this difficult situation. You have to suffer the consequences of your sinful actions."

[mariekamerdula]

This is all so true. Control of women and people in general is an Authoritarian policy.

[feathersigil]

Society can't function properly if people don't make enough to live, don't receive social assistance, don't have access to proper sex education or contraceptives, don't have the ability to choose when to reproduce or not, don't have access to medical care without ruining themselves financially and don't receive family leave (whether maternity or paternity). That's a world in which only wealthy people can live (which even the wealthy don't truly want, whether they realize it or not, because their wealth is sustained by the labour of the non-wealthy). Yet it's the world the right, the center, the corporate puppets and the legislation-destroying Senate exist to uphold. Something has to give.

[kmarchery]

My biggest issue
Regarding this debate .
Is all the time effort and MONEY spent in all ways .
To restrict women's health
Choices .
If the same time effort and MONEY.
Was spent on women's health care and improving women's choices and opportunities.
The already falling abortion rates would fall even faster .

[lennym]

When ever i talk to a pro-lifer I tell them if you don't like abortions don't get one, but mind your own business when it comes to others...

[kuriosites]

Given the almost 100% correlation between the anti-abortion movement and the religious right, I can't help think that abortion should be considered a 1st amendment issue. This is a group of people who are attempting to legislate their religious beliefs.

[ljwhitmire]

Rich people make laws to control the behavior of poor people. Rich people rarely live by the laws they make for poor people.