Why Democrats Might Want to Rethink Framing Abortion as an Economic Issue
The logic behind it is clear. From a Marxist perspective, which tends to filter its way into a lot of progressive circles whether adopters are self-aware of this or not, the framing of abortion as an economic issue is a clear indictment of an agenda of the elite.
‘The elite’ or ‘bourgeoisie’ need a never-ending supply of laborers trapped in poverty to take the jobs that no one else really wants to do. They, theoretically speaking, rely on this generational and cyclical desperation.
Of course, life is more complicated than theory… even when it collides with reality in some pretty palpable ways.
Framing abortion as an economic issue is a valid take, but an ultimately dangerous one.
Forget for a moment that it sounds extremely coarse to pro-lifers, creating even more resistance to the issue in the broader political and healthcare landscape (and remember that opinions about abortion are not a zero-sum game where one side is ultimately correct and the other absolutely wrong).
When you start dealing in absolutes, you’ve lost the argument.
The problem with framing abortion as an economic issue is the inherent targeted messaging and the tacit coercion embedded in it.
Let’s take a realistic walk down this road where abortion is accepted as an ‘economic issue’ and discern who it will really impact and how.
Historically marginalized and impoverished populations will be ultimately in the crosshairs. This is an unfortunate yet very predictable reality.
The narrative is as such:
- Aborting this pregnancy will keep you out of poverty (i.e. you can’t afford to have children); and,
- Aborting this pregnancy will help you to advance economically in life and create more opportunities in the future to get out of poverty (i.e. having this baby will ruin your life); and,
- Society can’t afford for you to have this baby (i.e. social services are not enough to supplement your decision to have it.)
So, who is receiving this message disproportionately? Dare we say it? People in the lowest socioeconomic demographic which is historically and cyclically dominated by minorities.
There have been ripples going through the Black community that Democrats are trying to take their babies. While it probably sounds ridiculous to some, there is an inherent point being made in this seemingly off cuff rhetoric.
Read on before attributing this to Republican and pro-life attempts to sabotage ‘progress’.
The Geneva Convention states that any measure taken to prevent or reduce births in a specific population is categorically ‘genocide’.
Let that sink in. Perhaps try to transcend the hardline positions which rely on every pro-choice talking point being ‘right’.
Now, it is not the point of this article to accuse Democrats of promoting genocide… but it is to encourage people to be more emotionally and socially intelligent in their talking points and how they are received.
Case in point: birth control was introduced to First Nations women in Canada long before it was approved for use in the general population.
It may sound like some sick experiment on minority populations akin to the syphilis experiments performed on Guatemalans and Black Americans…
And it was categorically ‘sick’, but it was also in practice an attempt to reduce the number of ‘wards of the state’ that the post-colonial Canadian government had to be responsible for. And this, along with their practices of coerced and forced sterilizations, have led to many calls from First Nations Peoples and their supporters to in fact label it as genocide and seek accountability.
‘Cultural genocide; is a phrase which is often adopted when the word genocide alone seems too harsh; and both constructs have been tossed around in the realm of international law.
So, if that helps highlight the reality of the situation, consider these points under that umbrella.
Since Democrats are historically the party of promoting social services, it is not great optics to be promoting a policy point that would effectively reduce births in very specific demographics…cultures… who disproportionately rely on social services — or would if they had children.
Is abortion an ‘economic issue’ for upper middle class white women? Arguably, no.
Is abortion an ‘economic issue’ for white people as much as it is for minority populations? Inarguably, no.
There is not much left to say. Slipping into eugenics-oriented thinking has become a dangerous turn in political circles and it is largely unconscious — and that’s the scariest part.
The author does not believe that Democrats are trying to consciously reduce births in specific demographics — which would qualify as genocide under international law — but foresees that this would indeed be an unintended consequence of this widely disseminated rhetoric.
Any time the conversation sways towards eugenics, it’s time to take a beat, or perhaps rather a very deep pause, before it goes any further.
