Subsidizing Forced Birth Mothers Has a Few Conservative Supporters

There are a few, not enough, conservatives who recognize women often have abortions because they cannot afford to miss work and pay the costs of raising a child. Of course, the puritans in our midst will say these women should not have sex. Payments of public money to mothers is the perfect partner to anti-abortion. The less money a woman has available to have a baby and raise it the more likely she will find an abortion, even if it is illegal. Conservatives advocating these payments do not oppose abortion for the purpose of controlling women which is the motive of much of the forced-birth political circle. They are interested in expanding opportunities for women who give birth.  

To move forward with the goal of expanding opportunity for young mothers this group of anti abortion activists want to do exactly what other anti abortion activists do not want to do, increase welfare payments and services to women. Going back to Reagan, there has been a visceral hatred of welfare payments. Reagan made political hay in a speech I remember when he asked listeners to note what was in the shopping cart of the woman who received food stamps at check out. If there was heat-and-serve or soda pop or an arm's length list of items conservatives like Reagan thought women on welfare should not have they wanted a siren to go off.

There are conservatives who hate welfare who claim they oppose increasing welfare but say they are already helping low-income women with babies. Their help is to pray for them. I suppose some would offer to drive them to church. It would, of course, have to be a "good" church. The only good church is their church.

All that said, I'm glad there are anti-abortion groups who are in favor of larger welfare payments to women raising children. All of us will benefit it children are raised with good health care, good education and stable homes.