Abortion is both a religious issue — tied up in “when human life begins” — and a practical one. I understand the thinking of those that believe that human life begins before birth. I also sympathize with those who are loathe to cause “pain of death” on a human embryo. 

However, and most importantly and uncontroversially, pregnant women are unquestionably human, and their lives and rights definitely matter. 

In US law, a person is not a person until they are born, at which time they are issued a Social Security Number (SSN) and granted rights of citizenship, including social services when needed. I do not observe any movement to provide compensatory social services to pregnant mothers, or specific offers to pay medical expenses, or to adopt the baby once born. If an embryo is human, they should have FULL human rights, and their parents should get a child tax credit as of the moment of conception (or heart beat, or…). Yet we do not do this. 

I hear that “there are plenty of people who want to adopt,” but I have never heard one of them say that they themselves are willing to adopt unwanted children. Many of these same people are also the ones that are against many of the social services that make bearing and raising a child possible. 

It is a fact that wealthy women have no problem getting an abortion; they can travel to a place where it is allowed, and they can afford the procedure. And if they don’t abort, they can afford to have the child. So “right-to-life” impacts almost exclusively poor and/or young women.

I also notice that many of the same people who are anti-abortion are also anti-birth control. This makes me suspicious of their motives. Are they trying to punish a woman for getting pregnant? Are they trying to keep poor and/or young women poor and dependent? If so, why? There is certainly no financially or environmentally sound reason to force an unwanted birth, which often produces a burden on society. 

Or does this movement originate in a Right Wing (i.e. wealthy, typically Republican) effort to divide the public on an issue to keep them distracted from the vast inequities in society? After all, again, wealthy people rarely if ever have trouble finding safe abortions.

No, the very nature of this issue is one that demands that Government stand aside and let women make their own decisions. Separation of Church and State demands it. No one will stand in the way of a woman of limited means deciding to have a baby, and they should not force them not to. 

Ultimately, it is the State’s job to work for the People, and The People want the right to choose. And it is in the best interest of the People to fund an abortion, rather than accept the burden of an unwanted birth.