I must also exclude most Republicans and conservatives from being honestly opposed to abortion as a result of such welfare reforms as the family cap (a provision where a woman’s welfare payments are not increased for another child), and their TOTAL REFUSAL to just fix the pro-abortion parts of Obamacare while otherwise leaving it alone for the most part, at least as a first step. It is a total mystery to me why such welfare reforms as the family cap are not recognized to be PRO-ABORTION; working families have child tax credits, although the tax reform passed in December 2017 abolished the dependency exemption, at least at the federal level. Most probably, the family cap disqualifies the vast majority of Republicans and conservatives from being honestly opposed to abortion.
More generally, any penalties for pregnancy and childbirth of any kind and for any reason, regardless of whether or not the mother is married, are PRO-ABORTION. In other words, any attempts whatsoever to punish, shame, or stigmatize out-of-wedlock pregnancies and childbirths are PRO-ABORTION, plain and simple. Although it is wrong for those who are unmarried to be sexually active (including ALL homosexual and lesbian sexual activity of ANY kind, regardless of one’s “marital” status), it is much more important to protect the innocent baby after conception has occurred. In other words, once the baby is conceived, protecting the innocent baby from abortion MUST come first, regardless of whether or not the mother is married. I believe that a majority of women who have abortions are unmarried.
Also, any complaining about out-of-wedlock pregnancies and childbirths, or the taxpayer cost of providing for the children of single mothers (welfare or otherwise) and for anchor babies, or any children for that matter, is PRO-ABORTION. More generally, any complaining about people having children they cannot afford, or the taxpayer cost of raising people’s children is PRO-ABORTION. Besides, some of these women might have been raped or sexually exploited. The campaign indicates that such sexual assault is much more common than we may have thought. (Donald J. Trump’s endorsement of sexual assault on women is an implicit endorsement of abortion for babies who might be conceived as a result of such sexual assault, even if some other things he is doing may be pro-life.)
Those who wish to curtail unmarried sexual activity will have to try to do so BEFORE conception occurs. For example, why not teach people proper sexual morality BEFORE the baby is conceived, including teaching men not to rape or sexually exploit women? Of course, that will not be enough for women who are raped or sexually exploited. In addition, my Catholic faith ABSOLUTELY RULES OUT endorsing or approving of any kind of contraceptive solution here (except possibly after rape). In addition, some so-called contraceptives may actually have abortifacient consequences. Anyone honestly opposed to abortion would at least have to object to potentially abortifacient contraceptives.
I must also consider any complaining about health insurance covering pregnancy and maternity and baby care, delays in extending the CHIP health insurance program or attempts to cut the CHIP health insurance program, and Donald Trump’s public charge restrictions which attempt to prohibit immigrants who ever used government programs to help them raise their children or otherwise provide for their families from qualifying for US citizenship to be PRO-ABORTION. More generally, any attempt whatsoever to try to punish people for having babies, or for making use of government programs intended to help parents to raise their children is PRO-ABORTION. Again, working families have child tax credits, although the tax reform passed in December 2017 abolished the dependency exemption, at least at the federal level.
Honestly opposing abortion ABSOLUTELY REQUIRES a willingness to put up with more out-of-wedlock pregnancies and childbirths in return for fewer abortions; ABSOLUTELY REQUIRES a willingness to put up with immigrant families using government programs to help them raise their children; ABSOLUTELY REQUIRES a willingness to put up with the taxpayer cost of providing for the children of single mothers (welfare or otherwise) and for anchor babies, or any children for that matter (working families have child tax credits, although the tax reform that passed in December 2017 abolished the dependency exemption, at least at the federal level); ABSOLUTELY REQUIRES a willingness to accept the existence of health insurance covering pregnancy and maternity and baby care; and ABSOLUTELY REQUIRES opposition to any so-called contraceptives that can have abortifacient consequences.
Now that the dependency deduction, at least at the federal level, has been abolished by the tax reform that passed in December 2017, the child tax credit needs to be made available to ALL dependents in return, including oneself. While I believe that the child tax credit has been made more generous, that does not help dependents other than children, such as aging parents or oneself. Indeed, even children might not qualify for the child tax credit after they turn 18, even though they usually did still qualify for the dependency deduction. In other words, the child tax credit would disappear just when families are facing the cost of paying for college. Therefore, it is ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE that the child tax credit be extended to apply to ALL DEPENDENTS including oneself (in other words, ALL those who would have qualified for the dependency deduction under the old tax rules), not just children. It is also ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE that the resulting DEPENDENT TAX CREDIT be made 100%-refundable for lower-income people, including those with no income at all so that it benefits even those who earn too little income to owe any income tax. Most people who do not pay income tax do pay Social Security tax. They might also pay sales or property taxes. A 100%-refundable DEPENDENT TAX CREDIT could also be an alternative or supplement to raising the minimum wage.
I must also exclude most Republicans and conservatives from being honestly opposed to abortion as a result of such welfare reforms as the family cap (a provision where a woman’s welfare payments are not increased for another child), and their TOTAL REFUSAL to just fix the pro-abortion parts of Obamacare while otherwise leaving it alone for the most part, at least as a first step. It is a total mystery to me why such welfare reforms as the family cap are not recognized to be PRO-ABORTION; working families have child tax credits, although the tax reform passed in December 2017 abolished the dependency exemption, at least at the federal level. Most probably, the family cap disqualifies the vast majority of Republicans and conservatives from being honestly opposed to abortion.