Comment: The Economic Legacy of Abortion

Family North Carolina Magazine—Jan/Feb 2007

By Bill Brooks

“You’ve made your bed, now you’ll have to lie in it.” So goes the old admonishment that most children hear from a parent at least once in their lives. The reality is that it is often very difficult, and sometimes almost impossible, to undo an action once done. Abortion is a case in point.
 
When the U.S. Supreme Court made abortion legal in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, they unleashed an incredible weapon on America that thus far has done more damage to our nation than anything any external enemy has ever devised. Just stop and think about the big picture for a moment. In addition to the fact that abortion is wrong because it takes an innocent human life, take the view of an economist.
 
After the 1973 decision, the abortion rate in the United States skyrocketed—from about 200,000 abortions per year prior to Roe, to about 1.5 million per year soon thereafter. Most economists relate the potential economic strength of a country to its population. Thirty years ago, everyone was talking about the sleeping giant, China, and how, if the dragon ever awoke, the nation would become a power on the world economic scene. This analysis was based in large part on the simple fact that China had a billion people. The dragon did awake and now much of our goods are produced in China. Also, look at India, which has another billion people and now has the fastest growing economy in the world.

For the United States, even though our population just topped 300 million, we are about 45 million behind where we should be, if that many children had not been killed before they were able to take their first breath. What if those children had been born? How would our economy have performed differently since 1973. What would it look like today?

Many of our companies are not as strong as they would have been and would now be because their potential customers were killed. Those who manufacture clothing, furniture, and housing have seen a lower demand for their products. Other goods and services that would have been consumed by these 45 million—they were never produced or sold, nor are they today.

The loss in economic activity resulted in higher unemployment during certain periods, lower wages and a tremendous reduction in incomes generated as well as taxes collected. Some economic studies indicate larger government deficits and a greater trade imbalance can be traced to this disappearance of population.

In addition to the economic activity lost because of lower rates of consumption, the first wave of aborted 1973 workers would have entered the labor force in the early 1990s. At that time, they would have begun their careers in medicine, sales, law, education, the trades, or some other field. They would have begun paying numerous taxes— income, sales, property, etc.—that keep our governments solvent. They would have been buying property, stocks and bonds, and paying taxes on the capital gains.

Because they were working, they would be paying social security tax and that system would not be at the brink of collapse. Now, each year since 1993, there are about 1.5 million workers who should be entering the labor force who are not. Some of these would also be joining the armed forces of our country, making those institutions more sustainable and solid.

Because we have had abortion on demand since 1973, there is now a workforce vacuum. Some estimate that there are about 25 million people from other countries who have entered the United States illegally or who have overstayed their visas. Most of these individuals are employed, and most are sending a good portion of their earnings back to the country from which they came. This is a great source of income for their native countries, but is a double whammy on our balance of payments as foreign dollar reserves increase, both from these transfers and from the continued purchase of foreign goods.

If the 45 million abortions had not taken place, those individuals would be holding the jobs that many of our foreign friends now occupy. We have absolutely no idea what will happen as these “guest” workers have children here, who under our Constitution, are citizens of the United States.

Because of our national “sin” of abortion, our nation is being given to others. Depending on your point of view, this may or may not be a good thing. Suffice it to say, however, that we have made our bed, and we are lying in it.

Bill Brooks is president of the North Carolina Family Policy Council.

Copyright © 2007. North Carolina Family Policy Council. All rights reserved.