"Big Abortion"? You can't be serious.
Fine. You want to follow the money? Let's see just where it takes us.
"In 2001, the average charge for a surgical abortion at 10 weeks’ gestation was $468; but since most abortions in the United States are performed at low-cost clinics, women on average paid $372 for the procedure.
"How much does a medical abortion cost? In 2001, the average charge for a medical abortion was $487."
- Guttmacher Institute
Though I haven't found any information that indicates the cost has risen much since then, it can go as high as $3,000 for a late second trimester procedure.
So you think that's outrageous? Let's compare that to a single live birth, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Prenatal Care = $1,862.
Vaginal delivery without complication = $6,200
Vaginal delivery with complication = $8,200
C-section without complication = $11,500
C-section with complication = $15,500
Then the cost of raising the child through age 17, for things like clothes, food, education, and doctor's visits, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture = $221,000
And that's not including the cost of living after that child grows up and is on it's own.
The CDC states that in 2006, there were 236 abortions for every 1,000 live births. And that number has been falling. Well, how about that? Abortion apparently isn't where the money is.
In fact, if money was their main concern, they'd probably be a lot more interested in trying to get contraceptives and abortion outlawed, wouldn't they? Wouldn't want such things cutting into their business.
Makes much more sense to me than the notion that the anti-abortion crowd gives a damn about women and children, because we all know that's a load of crap.
