Trump Republicans are working feverishly to create laws which they say will save lives, specifically the lives of the unborn. I believe that their "cause" is simply a propaganda ploy to diminish women's rights and funnel more money, power, privilege, pleasure and protection to privileged, wealthy politicos and their wealthy benefactors. I don't believe that they are looking at the issue of saving and enriching lives with the truth, humanity and depth possible. How can we do better?
Is a law the best way to discourage abortion?
In the past thirty years, since Roe vs Wade, abortions have declined. This would infer that laws against abortion may do the opposite--they may increase the numbers of abortion. Instead, letting a woman work with her close allies and medical professionals to make an educated choice, may result in less abortions.
Plus when we look at who a typical abortion patient is and when that happens, I believe the facts point to more effective ways to reduce abortions rather than a law.
Let's look at each attribute of a typical abortion patient, and think about better ways to reduce or eliminate the need or desire for abortion.
Is already a mother
Do we pay attention to the reproductive needs of women who are already mothers. What can we do medically and socially to help them avoid unwanted pregnancy? Are their partners educated enough? Do they show enough respect to their child bearing partners? Do reproductive services offer paths to pregnancy that don't include the need for abortion--for example some infertility treatments lead to too many fertilized eggs? Is contraceptive readily available and affordable? Are women educated well about sexual/reproductive health and activity? Do women's work schedules allow them the time they need to tend to their reproductive health and needs? I believe that greater education, better health care, more respect for women, and easier access to effective contraceptives will help in this regard. This will probably cost more money than a simple dead-end law, but overall this will enrich women's lives and reduce the need or desire for abortions.
In her late twenties, attended some college, has a low income
Let's think about this group. It's likely that many in this group are those burdened by the college debt crisis that so many want lifted. So a first step to help these women is to lift them from the debt burden they likely face by eliminating their college loans. We can do that. We can also work harder for just work conditions and pay. Too many Americans, especially women, do not make enough money to live a good life. In a rich country like the United States, we can change that by increasing the minimum wage, creating greater access to quality, affordable childcare, providing more affordable higher education options, and making job expectations more reasonable giving women the time they need to care for their health and have greater voice/choice about who leads the government and how the government works for their needs. Again, these supports will cost more time and money than a simple dead-end law, but overall, efforts like these will enrich women's lives and decrease the number of abortions.
Stay out of women's bodies
Every women knows that reproduction and pregnancy are complex issues that require a myriad of personal, social and medical responses. Only when a woman works with good knowledge, allies and medical support can they navigate pregnancy with the care it deserves. I really don't need or want to know about the choices women make about their reproductive health. I trust that women who are given adequate supports to live good lives will make good choices for themselves and their loved ones. I don't believe it is the government's position to be making these highly complex, personal decisions for women and their bodies. Reproductive rights are women's rights.
Trump Republicans know that a dead-end law is easier and costs less than doing what will truly enrich and increase lives and good living--they care about their power, not your's
The Trump Republicans know that oppressive, dead-end laws generally don't cost them much in terms of their personal wealth, power, privilege, pleasure and protection. In fact those dead-end laws likely increase the wealth and power of Trump Republican leaders while oppressing others. While laws like those that outlaw abortion oppress women likely to need, desire or have abortions, they are an easy way out of the responsibility to increase and enrich lives for self-serving, oppressive politicos like all Trump Republicans. Those wealthy Republicans don't care at all about the welfare of people likely to need or desire an abortion.
Sadly, a dead-end anti-abortion law will only lead to deadly back-alley abortions. Instead, why not invest in American women in ways that increase their opportunities for better living. We see that negating laws against abortion led to less abortions over time even though the population greatly increased. In 1973 when Rode vs Wade was passed, the population was 211,900,000 and the number of abortions was about 600,000 and now with a greatly increased population of 332,400,000, more than 100,000,000 more people, the number of abortions is still about 600,000 - a far less percentage than it was when Roe vs Wade was first passed. This lower rate of abortion is due to better health care and access to reproductive education and contraceptives. This is also likely to do with the increased number of well educated Americans over that time too.
Rather than one-size-fits-all, dead-end laws, I believe we should work harder to put the supports in place that reduce women's need or desire for abortions--this will continue the decline in abortion numbers while an anti-abortion law will only increase oppression, lack of good supports for women's reproductive and overall health care and good living, and the numbers of abortions in the United States.
We can do better. Don't be fooled by Trump Republican leaders' and benefactors' one-size-fits-all, dead-end, propaganda laws and policies that increase their personal wealth and privilege while holding the rest of us down. They're corrupt, backwards and hurtful--they do us no good. Vote them out, hold them accountable, see through their deadly propaganda and do better.