Saturday marked four years since the landmark Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe vs Wade, so I decided to make a (probably bad) decision and place myself in the line of fire of probably the worst topic I could have chosen for this week to give an honest review of the data since then.
I’ll start by saying that I am probably one of the few pro-lifers who was against Roe vs Wade being overturned. I am against the government making any laws that the public is better suited to enforce. What I mean by that is that I believe that criminalizing abortion will not stop abortions, but instead it will drive mothers into the shadows to get them, where churches and support organizations have less of a chance to reach them. It makes unplanned mothers who are considering abortion less likely to seek advice for their situation, because they’re afraid of being reported to the police.
Anyway, that was my main fear. Another one, however, was that laws criminalizing abortion could accidentally affect mothers who have had miscarriages. Especially if they had an abusive partner who falsely accused them of having done something to cause a miscarriage. Laws in general are slippery slopes. Especially trying to navigate making criminal laws about this for the first time ever. I didn’t have much faith that the government could get it right.
So, let’s see how we’re doing. Comparing the data from 2020 and 2025, the abortion rate has actually risen 16% since 2020. There was a noticeable spike in abortions after Roe vs Wade and there have been more every year since. I’ll say it again: forcing women into the shadows only keeps them from getting advice and the help they need to keep their baby.
13 states, including ours, have passed sweeping bans on abortion. In Louisiana, the only two scenarios that abortion is legal is if the baby presents a threat to the mother’s life, or if the baby either has no heartbeat or has a condition that is incompatible with life. I am thankful that our laws are actually very clear and well-written.
Texas laws, however, are not so clear and concise. They have over-regulated this issue and women are suffering because of it. Their only requirement for abortion is that the life of the mother is at risk. They also have a law that gives a mandatory 24 hour waiting period before the procedure, complete with required counseling. For minors, this waiting period is extended to 48 hours from the time her parents are informed. It is not written that these waiting periods can be ignored in emergency situations, such as an ectopic pregnancy, and it is a mandatory felony for any doctor who performs this procedure illegally.
As a result of these over-regulations, the maternal mortality rate in Texas has risen 56% since 2022. Ours has risen less than 1% in the same amount of time.
Texas, among other states, has also passed civil laws where plaintiffs (usually the fathers) can sue anyone who either provides or aids in someone getting an abortion for damages of $10,000. I know it’s meant to deter people going out-of-state for abortions, but I can see every crazy ex in Texas trying this route to bankrupt their woman with legal fees if she tries to leave. The potential for false accusations just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
So, how am I pro-life if I am against criminalizing abortion? Because I think there are better ways to prevent abortions.
Up to 43% of women who seek abortion reported that they were too young or not ready for children. This number isn’t surprising when you consider that the only form of sex education we get is highlighting the flaws of every form of contraception in an attempt to get the teens to choose abstinence. It works wonderful for the 3.3% of people who are abstinent until marriage, but you’ve just told the other 96.7% of your students that there’s no point in using contraception. Good sex education and access to birth control options and other contraceptives is absolutely vital to preventing abortion, but for some reason we clutch our pearls at the thought of talking to our kids about them.
Also, up to 73% of women report that financial constraints were their reason for seeking abortion. I fear Ronald Reagan’s “welfare queen” stereotype did a huge amount of damage to the perception of single mothers who need help, and the benefits being stripped year after year have been the cause of so many abortions. I think we have a tendency to forget that the majority of public assistance for single mothers isn’t for the adults, it’s so that the kids can be provided for.
There’s no sense shaming an expectant impoverished single mother. If we are to create an environment where a she feels supported enough to choose life, we need to continue to support her in that via community outreach groups and supporting public assistance programs.
Obviously, there are going to be a few people who abuse any system like this. There always have been, and most likely always will be. But again, is a kid any less deserving of our help because their mom only had them to game the system? Would we have rather had her choose abortion for the child she couldn’t afford?
Basically, I think we need to consider our priorities. An increase of 16% in abortions after Roe vs Wade being overturned is too much to ignore. It signals a fundamental failure that needs to be remedied. The worst part is the more laws we pass to try and correct it only makes the problem worse.
I think the pro-life community needs to abandon the idea of legislating abortion, because the data is proving that it doesn’t work. We need to prioritize support instead of shame and prosecution, for the sake of the lives of our women and babies.
Taryn Ogletree is a local small business owner and author with previous experience of several years in finance.