A while ago, Erick Erickson, a Republican strategist, expressed the view that liberals should start stocking up on wire coat hangers, because that was the only way they would get an abortion when more states follows the lead of Texas. It made me immediately feel queasy, since it shows so clearly that it’s not the abortion per se that is bothering republicans. It’s more the fact that it can be performed safely and cheaply in clinics that listens to and respect their patients. Considering that most abortion providers don’t get any money from the government for performing abortions, it cannot be because of cost to tax payers.
Another interesting effect of the Texas legislation, is that people living near the Mexico border will on a practical level not have access to any abortion provider. Considering that many of the people getting abortion right now are migrant workers, their only choice would be to go to Mexico to get the care they need. However, the ones with questionable legal status to be in the United States don’t have that luxury, if we call it that. Their only choices are to get an illegal abortion, which is dangerous and increases the risk that they will end up in emergency care, which does end up costing all of us money, or to have the baby, which of course means that they give birth to another American citizen. Yes, the much reviled anchor baby. Hopefully one of them grows up to become President of the United States.
