Abortion and Health Care

[wally world]

I was reading an article on Yahoo! regarding the abortion funding issues in the current health care legislation. It ended with this quote from an anti-abortion pastor.

Abortion opponent Rev. Derrick Harkins, pastor of the Nineteenth St. Baptist Church in Washington, said he believes it ultimately could hurt the anti-abortion cause if the health care bill collapses because of the divisive issue.

"You can't be blanket pro-life and not address those things that encourage women to make the choice of having an abortion," said Harkins, a board member of World Relief, the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals. "If you are really looking to reduce the number of abortions in America, one of the things that will make that happen is to have comprehensive health care coverage."

I guess I'm an idiot. How does providing comprehensive health care coverage reduce the number of abortions?

[erosewater]

My guess is because some people think health insurance ought to pay for birth control?

[SamTheEagle]

Originally Posted by erosewater

My guess is because some people think health insurance ought to pay for birth control?

I suspect that for this preacher, it's more that health insurance would pay for a delivery, removing some of the financial incentive of abortion.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

Originally Posted by wally world

I was reading an article on Yahoo! regarding the abortion funding issues in the current health care legislation. It ended with this quote from an anti-abortion pastor.



I guess I'm an idiot. How does providing comprehensive health care coverage reduce the number of abortions?

That would never be the first thing I would think. I usually assume everyone else is an idiot until proven otherwise.
I can only think of a few ways that this is true:
1. Cost of rearing babies drops, as health care can be expensive. Costs of babies - thru - 18-yo is a major reason for having abortions.
2. If an anti-abortion person is in charge of deciding what is covered and what is not, guess what does not get covered.
3. Non-abortion, baby-making prevention items can get covered, like birth control pills, condoms, RU486, etc., lowering the abortion rate.

[Jack]

1) Yes you are.
2) I miss the connection as well.

[SamTheEagle]

Originally Posted by Dr T Non-Fan

That would never be the first thing I would think. I usually assume everyone else is an idiot until proven otherwise.
I can only think of a few ways that this is true:
1. Cost of rearing babies drops, as health care can be expensive. Costs of babies - thru - 18-yo is a major reason for having abortions.
2. If an anti-abortion person is in charge of deciding what is covered and what is not, guess what does not get covered.
3. Non-abortion, baby-making prevention items can get covered, like birth control pills, condoms, RU486, etc., lowering the abortion rate.

Um, RU486 is abortion. Maybe you're thinking of the morning after pill.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

Originally Posted by SamTheEagle

Um, RU486 is abortion. Maybe you're thinking of the morning after pill.

They're not the same??
Yes, that is what I'm thinking. I'm not in the market, so I am ignorant.

[MountainHawk]

Originally Posted by Dr T Non-Fan

They're not the same??
Yes, that is what I'm thinking. I'm not in the market, so I am ignorant.

As I understand it:

Morning after pill prevents implantation. Ru486 will kill an implanted fetus up to 7 weeks old.

[SamTheEagle]

Originally Posted by MountainHawk

As I understand it:

Morning after pill prevents implantation. Ru486 will kill an implanted fetus up to 7 weeks old.

Yeah, the morning after pill is basically a super strong birth control pill. RU486induces a do-it-at-home abortion. Dump and flush.

Just covering maternity care and delivery might make a difference. That along with "safe havens" where you can leave your newborn, no questions asked, no prosecutions, greatly reduces the cost of not aborting.

(Safe haven laws usually specify places like emergency rooms and police stations where there will be someone who can take care of the baby and get it into the adoption system.)