Abortion is a complex matter and controversial topic for many people.  I get it.  What I don’t understand is why abortion has become a front-running issue in the ongoing budget debates in this country.  As our state and federal legislators haggle over which programs to cut and which taxes to raise, what does abortion REALLY have to do with it?

Absolutely nothing.

The Hyde Amendment has prohibited the use of federal funds for abortion (except in very limited circumstances) since 1976.  As such, low-income women in North Carolina can access prenatal care, but not abortion services, through Medicaid.  Efforts to strip Planned Parenthood of Title X funding because it is an abortion provider are terribly misguided, since the funds in question are exclusively utilized to provide wellness exams and contraceptives (which, last I checked, help to prevent unintended pregnancy – and by extension, abortion).

Ironically, if the government did subsidize abortion, it would actually save taxpayers money.  A first trimester abortion costs less than $500, while labor and delivery expenses run upwards of $7,000 for a normal, uncomplicated pregnancy.  (And that’s not even incorporating prenatal care or subsequent support for a child’s healthcare and other basic needs.)  I certainly don’t mean to imply that all women on Medicaid would or should opt for abortion, but shouldn’t they be able to make that decision based on something other than what’s “covered”?  In fact, to deny them this opportunity is a violation of their civil rights, because it intentionally discriminates against the poor and disproportionately impacts minorities.  No other constitutionally guaranteed freedoms are subjected to such financial requirements and procedural hoops.  Frankly, I don’t want my tax dollars misused in this way.

But Republicans aren’t satisfied with restricting the use of public funds; they also feel the need to dictate the parameters of private insurance coverage and tax credits where abortion is involved – more than slightly ironic, since one of the tenets of the GOP platform is less government intrusion into personal matters.  Yet, in this instance, they seem to have no qualms about interfering in the (privileged!) doctor-patient relationship and, ultimately, about telling us how to spend our money.  Not unlike a woman who opposes abortion in general but has one herself, many Republicans seem untroubled by the great hypocrisy at play here.

Given what is at stake, it feels like nothing less than dirty, back-door politics to mask the true motivations behind — and potential consequences of — the so-called bans on taxpayer-funded abortion.  If we are to enjoy a true democracy, the actions of our representatives must reflect the will of an informed citizenry.   This is not about money.  Sound bites that make a connection between abortion and our budget woes are the makings of a ridiculous smoke screen.  The proponents of these bills are simply exploiting the financial vulnerabilities of Americans to advance their personal anti-abortion agendas.  It’s time to call them on these deceitful practices and to refocus our leaders on the country’s real priorities of the day:  jobs and financial security for all.