The economies of many nations in the world are on the brink of failure. In the United States, as politicians try to formulate solutions by determining the causes, one major contributing factor may be easily tracked back to 1973. Not only is abortion the greatest moral dilemma of our time, it has been become a major player that has launched this country into an economic stalemate. Since the passing of Roe vs. Wade, roughly 53 million legal abortions have been performed and the demographics of the work force in the United States have been heavily impacted.
The effects of abortion on demand have not only impaired economic growth in the United States, but in 83 other countries as well. Some of the most prominent – Australia, Italy, and Russia – are experiencing low fertility rates, aging populations, increased worker shortages, stagnant economic growth, and decreased stability. Most of those 83 countries are suffering such dismal birth rates that their populations are expected to be in decline by 2050. Russia is already experiencing a decline in its population, dropping by nearly 750,000 each year. Colonel Robert de Marcellus (Ret) of the Population Research Institute calls the diminishing fertility and birth rates the determining factor in almost all important economic and social developments of this century.
Leading Italian economist, Guiseppe Pennisi, lamented “If projections are right, then in 2050 Italy will have fifteen million fewer people than today, which means they won’t have enough young people to pay for the welfare system, pensions, health, and so on.” Recently, members of the Italian parliament proposed compensating single women contemplating abortions for economic reasons, in hope that they would choose Life. The “Baby Bonus” would pay women between 250 and 350 Euros a month, up to six months, before giving birth.
Australia is experiencing the lowest fertility rates of all time, falling from 3.55 births per family in 1961, to 2.95 in 1971, to today where it holds at a dismal 1.73 births. Australian economist Richard Grant addressed the impact abortion has had on his country’s economy:
The loss to our population of the three million unborn Australians killed by abortion over the last 35 years represents a massive loss to our nation's present productive capacity and hence to the level of our Gross Domestic Product. Further, the additional domestic demand for consumables, which these aborted Australians would have generated, would have been of enormous benefit to our local industries, many of which have struggled to survive and have even gone under.
In Russia, where abortion is used as the number one means of birth control, under population is already rampant. According to Health Minister Tatyana Golikova, there were 1.2 million abortions in 2008, but only 1.7 million births. The economy of Russia is failing and the government has taken notice. Proposed legislation would ban abortion as a qualified medical service under the government-run health care system, allow physicians to opt out of performing them, increase the amount women receive from the government by 70 rubles during pregnancy, and make abortions in the second half of pregnancy illegal. A recent UN report indicates that if Russians continue using abortion as a means of birth control, the population will fall from the 142 million in 2008 to 116 million by 2050.
In the United States, abortion has taken more than 53 million lives. Economically speaking, that means 53 million less Americans paying into social programs, like Medicare and Social Security, and less state and local tax revenue. Randall K. O’Bannon, Ph.D. of National Right to Life commented on the dilemma:
In 2008, the Social Security program tells us there were 3.2 workers fewer for every retired, disabled, or survivor beneficiary. By 2030, though, there will be just 2.2 workers per beneficiary, that is, the taxes of two people will have to pay for the benefit that three people’s taxes now cover. That’s a heavier tax burden than either individuals or the economy will be able to bear.
Not only are 53 million fewer Americans paying taxes and bolstering the economy, but there are 53 million fewer consumer-created jobs. All of those children would have needed to go to school, meaning teachers would have been needed to teach them. Fifty-three million people would have used a great deal of products like clothing, cars, and food, reinforcing the need for manufacturing and farming. Services, like health care, would have expanded to meet the needs of millions of additional patients, creating a higher demand for doctors and nurses to care for them. More medical professionals would mean more buildings to house medical necessities, creating more jobs to construct and maintain them.
From those 53 million, new generations would have grown, and added to the workforce, economy, and population of every state. The link between abortion and the downturn of the economy holds great merit. The impact of abortion hurts this country and every state in the union. When there are not enough students to teach, schools shut down and teachers are laid off. When there are not enough people to feed, farmers and grocers lose revenue. According to the Guttmacher Institute, abortions in Texas represent 7% of all documented abortions in the United States; roughly 3.7 million abortions since 1973. Nearly four million Texans were never given the opportunity to contribute to the population, economy, or culture because of abortion.
Abortion is not merely a “personal choice,” but one that affects the nation, the world, and future generations. The moral debate over abortion still reigns as the most hotly contested of social issues. Approaching the issue from an economic and fiscal perspective gives us a different view of its tragic consequences. Abortion is not a single person issue. It holds both moral and political implications. But when faced with how abortion on demand has shaped this country and this world economically, it connects us all. Every person is connected by a single choice, a choice that not only ends a life, but prohibits the potential of nations from becoming the reality.
