If you truly value life, you’ll ensure a healthy future for all ‘saved’ babies, right?

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Freedom.

It’s one of the rallying cries of the Republican Party. Yet those conservatives who are anti-abortion are also often opposed to government assistance and social programs that can aid families in need.

Protect the unborn. But also protect our pockets.

If Roe v. Wade is overturned, which has been suggested by a draft decision leaked Monday indicating a majority of Supreme Court justices have voted to do so, many of those children – when their mothers aren’t afforded the freedom to decide whether to carry them to term – will become another statistic.

Because, if we’re sticking with the party line, America needs to reduce its spending. But where will the resources, funding and staffing needed to address the influx of children that will inevitably flood the foster care and adoption systems come from?

It’s one of the dirty little secrets anti-abortion advocates don’t want to discuss. There will be enduring and painful consequences for these “saved” children. They will grow up in poverty. They will encounter abuse in their homes. They will have mental health issues. They will experience homelessness and food insecurity. They will potentially face a lifetime of suffering.

Overturning Roe v. Wade? Justice Alito’s draft opinion on abortion is a courageous gift to American children

The GOP by and large doesn’t want to acknowledge the systemic inequities for poor Americans and people of color. They don’t want to talk about the lack of access to health care, insurance and contraception education, and socioeconomic disparities, that often lead to unwanted pregnancies. They are silent about the inaccessibility to prenatal care and high maternal mortality rates, particularly for Black women. Their ears are closed to the mothers who must go back to work one week after giving birth because they can’t afford to take maternity leave.

Supreme Court opinion drafts do not leak. Abortion may be at risk but so is court’s sanctity.

After all, the GOP doesn’t have much of a track record when it comes to embracing social services spending. According to a 2019 Pew Research Center study, 46% of Republicans say the government should provide less assistance to the needy. Let’s be real: This isn’t the party beating the drum in support of the poor and people of color.

I often hear anti-abortion advocates dismiss the cries of those who support abortion and a person’s right to choose. It’s not about your body or your choice – it’s about the sanctity of an unborn child, they argue.

If that’s true, what is the real value of that life?

Columnist Suzette Hackney: Should race be an issue in the abortion debate? Anti-abortion activists are making it one.

Protesters at the Supreme Court on May 3, 2022, following the leak of a draft of an opinion suggesting the court may overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

Protesters at the Supreme Court on May 3, 2022, following the leak of a draft of an opinion suggesting the court may overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.

We welcome a cute, squishy little baby into the world and want to feel good about ourselves. We saved another one! But then what?

I support abortion rights because I truly care about children and their future realities. I want those born to have the best chance at success and happiness. I want them to live in comfortable homes and eat when they want, to be provided with the nourishment they need. I want them to sleep in actual beds and receive a sound education. I want them to feel loved, supported and safe. Instead of floundering through life, I want future generations to thrive.

They, too, deserve to experience freedom.

National columnist/deputy opinion editor Suzette Hackney is a member of USA TODAY’S Editorial Board. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter: @suzyscribe

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court Roe v. Wade opinion draft: Help all ‘saved’ babies



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