As it becomes increasingly apparent that Republicans are dead set on a federal abortion ban if they once again assume unified power in Washington, we could start a dialogue about fair implementation. Judging from remarks by Supreme Court justices and more minor legislators, other than forcing childbirth of unwanted pregnancies, Republicans also want to curtail the distribution of morning-after pills and outlaw contraceptive measures of any sort. These policies will certainly increase the birth rate among the poverty-stricken communities in our country, whether they want more children or not. However, since Republican policy interest in children apparently ends at childbirth, who will pay to support this infant boom? It is impractical to assume that women will be able to participate much in the workforce if saddled with unplanned children, so how do they manage to raise these kids to be societal assets instead of liabilities?
With today’s genetic testing, it is a simple matter to determine paternity. An objectively fair program to help women raise these children is for their fathers, whether married or not to the mother, to pay child support until the child is at least 18 years old, though 21 years of age would make more sense in our complex world. If we are to utilize our government to force pregnancies to term against the will of the mother, then that same government should be responsible for those children’s welfare or, at the very least, enforce that the fathers be equally responsible as the mother. All the burden should not fall upon the mothers’ shoulders. Republicans apparently feel entitled to tell women what they can and can’t do with their own bodies and lives, so they should rightly be willing to legislate support for struggling mothers and a healthy future society. Alternatively, we can avoid all of this misery and conflict by voting for Democrats, folks that believe in individual rights of all people.
Len Ford
Kalispell