Taxing Abortion
Posted on 20/05/09 09:36
2009 may well be recalled as the year of the unending tax increases. Pennies here, dollars there, pretty soon it adds up to real money. And these tax proposals are getting personal: someone wants to raise taxes on my beloved Diet Pepsi!
Last Sunday President Obama gave his highly-anticipated and much-protested speech at Notre Dame’s commencement. In his speech, he encouraged students...
to “…work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions…reduce unintended pregnancies….make adoption more available.”
While we’re in this season of tax increases, how ‘bout putting our money where your mouth is, Mr. President? How about raising taxes on abortions?
One of the main reasons for the glut of abortions is that they are relatively inexpensive. Planned Parenthood’s website says first trimester abortions cost between $350 and $900, depending on your location. To put that into the language of youth, one abortion equals the cost of two pair of fashion-forward sneakers. If you make minimum wage, it’s less than two weeks’ work to get an abortion. An abortion equals one car payment, one prom weekend, one spa day, one plane ticket.
Many women use abortion as birth control just because it’s so cheap.
Crass to think of abortion this way, but abortion is all about economics. A pregnant woman determines that the value of her dreams and plans is greater than the value of the life thrown away.
Lest you think I have no heart, I’m on the board of Northfield Ministries. We are working hard to provide options to young women who experience unplanned pregnancy. We know too well how difficult unplanned pregnancy can be.
So President Obama, I ask you this: do you truly want abortions to be rare? Do you truly want Americans to take responsibility for their actions? Do you really believe in social justice?
Then tax the devil out of abortions.
Remember all the new things we’re taxing and limiting: struggling companies, CEO bonuses, small business owners. Capital gains tax rates will be changing next year. All in the name of eliminating greed and graft.
So if you really want to change this culture and foster personal responsibility, we should make all immoral behavior more costly.
Double the price of abortions. Tax them equal to their cost.
Is this troubling? Is it because it’s blood money? Blood money never sits quite right.
But if we really want abortion to be rare, it has to be more costly.
Just like greedy CEO’s who have lost their ill-gotten bonuses, there has to be a financial sacrifice for moral messages to stick.
So maybe, just maybe, when those contemplating abortion have to pay more will they begin to realize the great cost paid by the helpless child whose life is thrown away.
Last Sunday President Obama gave his highly-anticipated and much-protested speech at Notre Dame’s commencement. In his speech, he encouraged students...
to “…work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions…reduce unintended pregnancies….make adoption more available.”
While we’re in this season of tax increases, how ‘bout putting our money where your mouth is, Mr. President? How about raising taxes on abortions?
One of the main reasons for the glut of abortions is that they are relatively inexpensive. Planned Parenthood’s website says first trimester abortions cost between $350 and $900, depending on your location. To put that into the language of youth, one abortion equals the cost of two pair of fashion-forward sneakers. If you make minimum wage, it’s less than two weeks’ work to get an abortion. An abortion equals one car payment, one prom weekend, one spa day, one plane ticket.
Many women use abortion as birth control just because it’s so cheap.
Crass to think of abortion this way, but abortion is all about economics. A pregnant woman determines that the value of her dreams and plans is greater than the value of the life thrown away.
Lest you think I have no heart, I’m on the board of Northfield Ministries. We are working hard to provide options to young women who experience unplanned pregnancy. We know too well how difficult unplanned pregnancy can be.
So President Obama, I ask you this: do you truly want abortions to be rare? Do you truly want Americans to take responsibility for their actions? Do you really believe in social justice?
Then tax the devil out of abortions.
Remember all the new things we’re taxing and limiting: struggling companies, CEO bonuses, small business owners. Capital gains tax rates will be changing next year. All in the name of eliminating greed and graft.
So if you really want to change this culture and foster personal responsibility, we should make all immoral behavior more costly.
Double the price of abortions. Tax them equal to their cost.
Is this troubling? Is it because it’s blood money? Blood money never sits quite right.
But if we really want abortion to be rare, it has to be more costly.
Just like greedy CEO’s who have lost their ill-gotten bonuses, there has to be a financial sacrifice for moral messages to stick.
So maybe, just maybe, when those contemplating abortion have to pay more will they begin to realize the great cost paid by the helpless child whose life is thrown away.
