This has got to be one of the worst ideas I've seen on how to stop abortions.
A Texas legislator has proposed that pregnant women considering abortion be offered $500 not to end their pregnancies.
Republican State Sen. Dan Patrick, who also is a conservative radio talk show host, said on Friday the money might convince the women to go ahead and have babies, then give them up for adoption...
Critics say the proposal would violate Texas and federal laws against buying babies, which Patrick rejected as "the typical ridiculous criticism."
This proposal sends all the wrong signals about stopping abortion and just gives more ammunition to the pro-abortion fanatics.
First, $500 isn't enough money to give women the incentive to go through a pregnancy they don't want, then the pain of childbirth and the various problems that can occur. And if I'm wrong, do we really want to encourage women to get pregnant this way for money? We want fewer women creating babies they are unwilling or unable to care for, not more.
Secondly, this reinforces the opinions of the radical feminists who think that
all pro-life supporters are against abortion because they think we need more white babies for adoption. The stipulation that the money is available after the baby is put up for adoption reinforces this idiotic notion.
Third, is this really a government function? One of the arguments conservatives make about abortion is its inherent governmental intrusion. We don't want the federal government telling states what rules they can have governing abortion, and it seems to me that this is the worst sort of government intrusion, as well as a waste of taxpayer dollars.
Representative Patrick may think this gimmick will stop some abortions, but, in my opinion, it will only reinforce the stereotypes certain radicals have of pro-lifers.
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