I believe it’s relevant that crime in the United States peaked in the early 1990’s and has decreased steadily (excepting the COVID blip in ‘20-‘21) since. The relation to the abortion debate? The peak years for criminal behavior is ages 20-25. What happened 20 years before the early ‘90’s? Roe v. Wade. By 1973 abortion was available almost everywhere. Because of that all women were making an implicit choice to HAVE the baby if they did not get an abortion. Even among poor women, their children were desired, even if that choice condemned them to being poor the rest of their lives. I believe that deep resentment of many children born before Roe v. Wade contributed to crime as a byproduct of “You ruined my whole life!” perhaps the most damaging statement any child can hear. I have friends, born to poor single mothers before abortion was available, who heard exactly those bitter words, and the harm never entirely lifted. Yes, there are still bitter, damaged mothers, but far fewer because of the free choice after Roe v. Wade to have that inconvenient child.
I believe it’s relevant that crime in the United States peaked in the early 1990’s and has decreased steadily (excepting the COVID blip in ‘20-‘21) since. The relation to the abortion debate? The peak years for criminal behavior is ages 20-25. What happened 20 years before the early ‘90’s? Roe v. Wade. By 1973 abortion was available almost everywhere. Because of that all women were making an implicit choice to HAVE the baby if they did not get an abortion. Even among poor women, their children were desired, even if that choice condemned them to being poor the rest of their lives. I believe that deep resentment of many children born before Roe v. Wade contributed to crime as a byproduct of “You ruined my whole life!” perhaps the most damaging statement any child can hear. I have friends, born to poor single mothers before abortion was available, who heard exactly those bitter words, and the harm never entirely lifted. Yes, there are still bitter, damaged mothers, but far fewer because of the free choice after Roe v. Wade to have that inconvenient child.
If we rounded up and murdered every poor person in the nation, the murder rate would almost certainly be lower the following year. Should we do that?