How Lawmakers Can Be More Pro-Life by Cutting Government Red Tape
Many pro-life organizations have stopped women from getting abortions, and states have passed laws prohibiting them. Of course, the Supreme Court decided in Dobbs v. Jackson that abortion should be left up to the states.
While those are noble, there is so much to be done in order to truly promote a culture of life.
I often hear it from pro-choice advocates and left-leaning pro-lifers that conservatives who are pro-life don’t do enough to make healthcare and childcare more affordable, as well as better access to paid leave. In fact, the top reason for why women choose to get an abortion is due to not being financially prepared to raise a child.
After all, I think everyone agrees on affordability and access even if their solutions are different, but since most pro-lifers are conservative or right-leaning, they need to take charge of the discussion by urging their lawmakers to cut back on government red tape.
Government subsidies and more spending are known to drive costs up and make life more expensive in the first place, and it is a knee-jerk solution that creates larger problems.
This is the time for organizations and individuals who are pro-free market to provide their pro-life solutions in addition to being involved with pregnancy resource centers, sidewalk advocacy, and donating to groups such as Let Them Live which has helped women financially.
Here are some solutions to make healthcare, childcare, and paid leave more accessible without more government interference and subsidies.
A lot of barriers to childcare should be reduced in order to make it less expensive and enable more competition. In order to reduce barriers to entry for childcare, state legislatures can reduce occupational licensing barriers for childcare and public preschool teachers, which are some of the most “onerously“ licensed occupations.
Barriers to home-based childcare should also be reduced. While it is already less restrictive than regular childcare, states still have set requirements that make it difficult for home-based care to start up, including a certain amount of space, length of “time outs,” and number of toys.
Another complaint I hear about why women are not choosing life is because of healthcare costs. There are several reasons for why healthcare is also expensive, and one of the reasons I have recently heard is certificate of need, which is required when building a medical facility and tries to prevent a “duplication of services” to ensure providers feel less pressure to raise prices.
Also, enacting pharmaceutical price controls and adding more regulations to pharmacy benefit managers end up making drugs more expensive and less innovative.
It is time to remove government interference in healthcare and also eliminate the so-called Affordable Care Act.
The biggest concern I have heard from pro-choicers and left-leaning pro-lifers is that conservatives and center-right individuals do not support paid leave. Again, we are concerned about more government interference in paid leave, which can bring financial harm to many small businesses.
In the end, companies should be able to provide leave that works for them and their workers, but if there were fewer regulations on businesses, it would be easier to provide flexible paid leave for their workers.
Also, Sen. Mike Lee and Sen. Joni Ernst introduced a budget neutral paid parental leave plan that is voluntary for employers, known as the CRADLE Act back in 2019. The proposal would have allowed workers to tap into some of their Social Security retirement benefits to offset some of the lost wages they would incur while taking parental leave.
That same year, House members introduced the Freedom for Families Act, which would have allowed individuals to use health savings accounts while on medical leave.
In order to continue promoting a culture of life, it is important for lawmakers to reduce financial barriers on individuals by removing government barriers and giving tax relief. While it is vital to have laws that protect the unborn and have organizations that prevent women from getting an abortion, it is time for lawmakers to put their passion for the pro-life movement to action.
