Chad the Elder, over at Fraters Libertas, links to a (subscription only) story at First Things, about how the availability of abortion made unplanned pregnancies entirely “the woman’s problem,” and encouraged irresponsibility in men.
But once continuing a pregnancy to birth is the result neither of passion nor of luck but only of her deliberate choice, sympathy weakens. After all, the pregnant woman can avoid all her problems by choosing abortion. So if she decides to take those difficulties on, she must think she can handle them.
Birth itself may be followed by blame rather than support. Since only the mother has the right to decide whether to let the child be born, the father may easily conclude that she bears sole responsibility for caring for the child. The baby is her fault.
That makes sense–how horrible.
I heard yesterday it can be statistically demonstrated that the availability of government-funded abortions increases the number of them in a city, showing that cost is a barrier for some people seeking abortions. That makes sense, but I wonder if it’s true.