Does Privilege Make Abortion That Much More Difficult?
LatestThe majority of women in America who seek abortions are already moms. Some of them are too poor to afford another child, but others potentially could — they simply choose not to. Is this choice such a bad thing?
On Monday, Slate‘s Lauren Sandler reported that since 2008, a full 72% of women seeking abortions from clinics run by the National Abortion Federation already had at least one child. Sandler writes that “most mothers who abort say they are doing so to protect the kids they already have” and “that rationale is tough to demonize politically, especially when you consider that most women making this choice are contending with some combination of low income, unemployment, and a lack of health insurance, or are struggling to raise kids on their own.” It’s certainly true that the recession has increased the pressures on many moms, and it’s ironic that those who oppose abortion are often those who also oppose a social safety net that could help mothers support their kids. But what about the moms who are doing okay, who have health insurance and a decent income but choose to abort anyway? Former Planned Parenthood president Gloria Feldt tells Sandler, “The less in control of a woman’s life she is, the more the public supports her right to make that choice [to have an abortion]. The more she is in control of her life, saying this is the life I choose, the less people support it.”