In light of recent news out of the United States concerning Roe v. Wade, abortion, and a woman's right to bodily autonomy, we are here today to discuss why banning abortion is a financial issue.
Here at Untangle Money, we are not just pro-choice, we are pro-abortion.
We strongly believe that it is the right of the individual to make that decision. We do not support other people governing our bodies, especially when many of those people are cis-men who do not bear the same mental, physical, and for the sake of this blog, financial toll that a woman or pregnant individual does.
And let's be clear on one thing before we go further, having an abortion is not a decision one comes to lightly. It is a taxing decision that an individual makes because that is the right decision for them and their livelihood. And there are many, many reasons why an individual wants to have an abortion (not that they need to justify their decision to anyone).
Reasons why people get abortions:
They do not want a child at that specific time in their life;
They do not want a child at all;
Their contraception failed leading to a unwanted or unplanned pregnancy (yes condoms break, birth control (pills, IUDs, etc.) aren't 100% effective, etc.);
The individual is a victim of rape, incest, forced pregnancy;
There are health risks*
Being pregnant and/or having a child is a hefty financial commitment
Being pregnant/having a child may impact their career
The list goes on... and on.... and on....
*Pregnancy in and of itself is a major health risk, one notable side effect of pregnancy being literal death. Not to mention that health concerns can arise during a pregnancy that leads women/pregnant people to have an abortion as a result.
But again, I must reiterate: it does not matter the reason why someone decides to have an abortion. They should have the right to make that decision for themselves.
Furthermore, a lot of the reasoning behind the anti-abortion agenda is problematic. I'm going to briefly discuss 3 aspects of that: religion, pro-life, and control of the female body.
A lot of rhetoric in support of "pro-life" and anti-abortion stems from specific religious beliefs and ideologies. This is problematic because it is pushing a religious agenda on societies with different beliefs. We all share the human right to freedom of religion, which encompasses the freedom of having no religion. What we don't have, is the right to push or force our beliefs onto others. Therefore, pushing a pro-life, anti-abortion, religious agenda is in fact a violation of our human rights.
Keeping with "pro-life", I take issue with pro-lifers and anti-abortionists, especially when they are elected officials. They hide behind the guise of supporting life and supporting unborn fetuses. But actually do nothing to support the mothers and pregnant people in terms of healthcare, childcare, workplace maternity leave, homelessness, mental health, and more. If you support "life", why are you not doing anything that actually supports the livelihood of women, pregnant people and children?
Finally, control. Let's call it for what it is. Anti-abortion is about controlling the female body. When I tried to think of any laws that exist that govern the male body, especially cis-men's bodies, I (not shockingly) came up empty. Vasectomies are not mandatory. This control over our bodies is a gross violation of our human right to bodily autonomy.
So why is abortion a financial issue?
Being pregnant costs money (especially in the US). Having a child costs money. It is a major financial commitment. Healthcare costs and childcare costs alone are astronomical. Then you have to take into account,
In 2015, MoneySense claimed that raising a child costs around $13,366 a year. That’s about a quarter million total to raise a child from infant to adult (18). And that was in 2015, 7 years ago.
Not to mention that marginalized communities, such as poor women, women of colour, and non-binary individuals with female reproductive organs are all disproportionately impacted in various ways by the healthcare system, by the childcare system, by abortion rights, etc.
Although banning abortions impacts all women and pregnant people, its impact hits communities differently. Wealthy women have the ability to travel to other cities, states, even countries; they can even pay off doctors to do the procedure secretly under the documentation of another procedure. We are all weathering the same storm, but some of us are in ships, and others are in boats.
What’s Next?
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