#126 The Economics of Abortion

Abortion is wrong as a Christian means, as well as an economic end. Said another way: Life is right as a Christian means as well as an economic end. 

Thankful to be here

I was on Dennis Prager’s fireside chat recently and made the point that as the Christian Economist, I travel in two camps: Christians – really anyone who believes in a greater being – believe there is a being who gives us instructions about how to lead our lives. Religious people concentrate on the means. Economists almost always concentrate on the ends. The example this week from one of the most renowned economists, Janet Yellen, makes my point better than I did last week on Dennis Prager’s program. Here’s what she said, “Roe v. Wade and access to reproductive health care including abortion helped lead to increased labor force participation of women.” Let’s see if I can summarize Ms. Yellen’s view. It goes something like, “Reducing the population increases the labor supply.” Huh? Her ill-informed economic statement was uttered just after I recorded the podcast titled “The March of Foolish Things.”

South Carolina Republican Tim Scott rejoined: “Did you say that ending the life of a child is good for the labor force participation rate?” Ms. Yellen demurred but warned that restricting abortion would limit women’s ability to “plan lives that are fulfilling and satisfying” and lead to more unwanted children, especially by black women, “who will grow up in poverty and do worse themselves.” Senator Tim Scott’s response to Chairman Yellen’s idiocy was “I’ll just simply say that as a guy raised by a Black woman in abject poverty, I am thankful to be here as a United States senator.”

The silly book called Freakonomics in 2005 pointed out the correlation between the introduction of abortion in 1973 and the reduction in crime some 20 years later. One of their assumptions was correct: A high percentage of crimes are committed by men in their 20’s. The rest is hogwash. They assumed that the unwanted babies that were aborted in the 1970’s did not grow up to commit crimes in the 1990’s. I have a long-standing rule about not arguing with kindergartners, and I think I’ll employ that standard on this one.

The Value of Life

I explain how the current crop of American Socialists are national socialists in podcast #15 titled Healthcare is not a Moral Right. “National socialists……I’ll allow you to shorten the term yourself.

In Germany and Italy, they killed off the impaired and mentally ill at the beginning of World War II, arguing that the limited supply of hospital beds served a greater utility for soldiers injured in war. This is explained in the very good book titled Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas. They were making this very same point that Janet Yellen made this week, arguing that those who detract from the economy should be eliminated, and those who produce should be allowed to live. The Nazis were so immoral. It’s hard to believe we’re witnessing something similar in 2022.

Think about it: Every Democrat policy suggestion should be followed by the phrase, “……for those we allow to live.” Like, “There should be free college tuition…..for those we allow to live.” There should be more electric vehicles…..for those we allow to live.”

Isn’t that sort of like asking, “Other than THAT Mrs. Lincoln,