$500 to NOT have an Abortion?
By Melizzy
@Melizzy (1381)
United States
March 25, 2007 8:28am CST
Did you see this news item? I added a bit of my own commentary.
A Texas legislator has proposed that pregnant women considering abortion to be offered $500 not to end their pregnancies. For those counting, that is $55.56 a month, $13.89 a week, based on a four week month and $1.98 a day to not have an abortion.
Republican State Sen. Dan Patrick, who also is a conservative radio talk show host, said on Friday the money might convince the women to go ahead and have babies, then give them up for adoption. Apparently the state senator hasn’t had a wife or daughter pregnant recently. $500 doesn’t even make a dent in the total cost for having a baby. And for women contemplating abortion due to financial concerns, it is unlikely $500 would change someone’s mind.
Patrick said during a legislative conference in New Braunfels, 45 miles south of Austin, there were 75,000 abortions in Texas last year.
"If this incentive would give pause and change the mind of 5 percent of those woman, that's 3,000 lives. That's almost as many people as we've lost in Iraq," Patrick said. What exactly that has to do with abortion, is a mystery.
9 people like this
19 responses
@SageMother (2277)
• United States
25 Mar 07
$500.00?
That isn't nearly enough. If that is all he can scrape up then that shows you how much he thinks of women in general. If he was serious he would pay for all of the living expenses for the rest of the woman's life and for the child's education, feeding, childcare, and college. He would also change the images of women that we are bombarded with everyday in swimsuits and under the age of 25 who have never given birth. He would ban the swimsuit issue and for bid fashion models or pay for every woman who gives birth to have plastic suregery to erase the evidence and make her as marketable as Madonna.
$500.00?....PU-LEEEEEEEAAAAAASSSSE!
5 people like this
@socorban (650)
• United States
27 Mar 07
If you have such a problem with the rights of anothers life then keep your legs closed, and guys keep in in your pants! Use protection! ABortion is wrong on many levels, and should not be tolerated. So its wrong for kavorkian to assist someone who willingly wants to die but its legal for someone to murder a defensless child? Whats the differance between chopping the baby up in your uteris at a clinic, or dumping it in a dumpster after birth? Either way is murder!
@Ravenladyj (22904)
• United States
25 Mar 07
I'm sorry but that is just sick IMO....how in the hell can this "man" think that the wellbeing of a woman is only worth $500?
"m'am I realize you got pregnant from being raped but if you would just nevermind the mental trauma, have the baby I'll give you $500! YES $500! ISNT THAT WONDERFUL? Wouldnt that make the pain all better and just think, with that big fat $500 cheque you could get a months worht of therapy! Sure that wouldnt even touch the surface of what you have to deal with but its $500!! WOW!"
give me a flipping break! What an absolute ignorant, shallow, heartless IDIOT!
4 people like this
@sirensanssmile (3764)
• Netherlands
26 Mar 07
Sounds like he arbitrarily pulled the number out of his bottom end.
He probably thought that poor people in that situation would jump at $500. Most people wouldn't be excited for $500 when it comes in case with a child on top of it! Even if you give it away for adoption, there are still many financial things to think about.... Medicine, doctor bills, vitamins, etc....
What a moron. I think he should shut his mouth because he seriously has no idea for what he is talking about.
1 person likes this
@Ravenladyj (22904)
• United States
25 Mar 07
LOL I wish we could get a months worth for that ;-) hell I'd go back and daily too!...I was going down to once a week when I ended up stopping and even with copay we were paying $40 a visit....
I gotta wonder now that I think about it, how in the hell did this putz come up with that number in the first place??
1 person likes this
@xphile777 (427)
• United States
25 Mar 07
This shows just how fu cking out of touch with reality this idiot is.
Society is going to save a hell of a lot more if these women do have abortions -- not to mention that, since most people haven't a clue in hell how to raise a child and the majority of parents absolutely suck at it, society is also spared another as*hole on the planet. And that is priceless.
4 people like this
@whimsystoryteller (1743)
• United States
25 Mar 07
They aren't out of touch with reality. You are out of touch with humanity.
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
25 Mar 07
shows where this fellow's mind is. control control control...he wants to control women and their lives and bodies. sorry about the rant, but that is that. that man needs to grow a clue. $500 wouldn't even cover the cost of delivery of a child! what happens to the child after birth mr. patrick? would you like to tell us that sir?
@plumwish07 (4057)
• Indonesia
26 Mar 07
well, $500 its big amount in my country and i think its quiet enough to care the baby till he delivered by his mom. however after deleing baby, the mother can give her baby to adopt,if she doesnt want to care the baby further, right? so i think its good offering to take, coz i against aborton issue.
@sirensanssmile (3764)
• Netherlands
26 Mar 07
$500 is NOTHING in America. It is not enough to do anything especially have a child.
1 person likes this
@briennekb (610)
• United States
26 Mar 07
I can't believe how narrow minded some of the posts are for this discussion. Many of you are calling him "sick" for offering an incentive! Obviously $500 is not a lot of money. Obviously. He's not offering to buy the women new houses. Obviously it does not cover the expeneses of child birth. But I guarantee that there will be some women that need the money bad enough that they will give the kid up for adoption as opposed to abortion.
Couples who want to adopt a new born will often front the medical bills for the mother. There are many adoption agencies that will do the same because they have insurance that will cover most of it.
Like the senator said, if it changes the mind of 5% of the mothers, it will save 3,000 lives. 3,000 lives people. Even those of you who are pro-choice should appreciate someone trying to save the lives of these unborn children. I respect the opinions of people who are pro-choice. But if you think that offering an incentive to avoid abortion is dumb, then you are saying that life is dumb. And you are saying that unborn children don't deserve life. Shame on you.
@asteriskec (1074)
• Philippines
26 Mar 07
That's what you could expect from someone who doesn't have a wife and daughter. If he had those, the thought of proposing such legislation would probably not even cross his mind at all. If that's all he can "offer", then he should not even have bothered. I'd rather that he propose legislation that would empower women to make the right choices and to be brave enough to face the consequences. I think women should also feel their responsibility and for their partners to feel the same.
@mmiller26 (1930)
• Canada
26 Mar 07
Does it seem to anyone else like all of the really bad ideas these days are coming out of Texas? I don't mean to offend anyone from there, but....wow.
$500 doesn't put a dent in the cost of raising a child. If he wanted to provide a monthly child tax credit like we have here in Canada, that might help. Or hey, how about universal health care so EVERY American has access to decent health care, regardless of their income.
Right now, instead of aborting a bunch of cells that have no feelings, he's encouraging mothers to keep the $500, have the kid and THEN ditch it. Good plan.
1 person likes this
@lezhiya (31)
• United States
26 Mar 07
I think that this is completely ridiculous. How are you only going to offer $500. What would that do? Oh yeah nothing. It wont pay any medical bills. It wont get any of the medications that you would need for the time of the pregnancy and anything like that. And then when those women have the babies what would that do? Have another baby either stuck in the system or she becomes a statistic to the system. I dont think that is right at all.
@Kappen (52)
• United States
26 Mar 07
I really hope this works out at somepoint. If it does become law, then whenever I decide I want to have a child, I'm going to move to Texas, convince my wife to go say she wants to have an abortion, then take my $500.
It's not really for the money, just to teach these idiots a lesson. Oh, and I want the money.
1 person likes this
@valerfore (298)
• Singapore
25 Mar 07
Just to add on to all the great comments above, I believe that the only people who will claim this 500 bucks will be mothers who actually wanted to have the child, but fake that she wants to abort just to get an additional $500 :P
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
26 Mar 07
Im' not sure it's the place of the government to do this. It's definitely crossing the line if you ask me. I think if a private individual or even a pro-life group offered something similar that would be great for them and personally think it might help to save lives but then you would get into the issues of what happen to these babies that are "kept".... do they go to adoption agencies (then it's just like buying a baby, which is illegal) or do the parents end up keeping a child they don't truly want, possibly abusing and possibly taxing the welfare system?
Personally, I don't think it's the position of the government at all and I'd be ticked off to see my tax dollars spent this way.
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
26 Mar 07
500 not to have an abortion?That is too small. It is missing a few zeros.I bet they never said where this money would come from.Patrick's commet about Iraq is telling. Maybe he wants these women to have these babies to replace all the soldiers we will lose in the war!?!What help do these new mothers get after the baby is born? To make this program succeed, you need to pay the women not have the abortion and pay her hospital bills plus give her money to live on while she is home with the baby for the first five months. And give her money to help her raise the baby as he grows.I know Texas is a rich state but I doubt they have enough money to give to these women.
@kamran12 (5526)
• Pakistan
26 Mar 07
though i don't feel good about abortion, for me it's like killing a life, an innocent life who can not protect itself. for me it's a murder. putting aside the ethical problem, you are right that for those who chose to go for abortion because of financial reasons, $500 is next to nothing. given the huge medical care cost, it probably won't change the minds. but how many of those 75000, do you think got aborted just for financial reasons? many would have done that just because they don't want a kid or they are not prepared for the responsibilties. i think if they are to stop abortion they would have to consider all the factors. and for the financial factor they need to give more incentive, but my dear there is sometimes psychological effect about it. the moms to be might think it as an additional amount that may encourage them to mange the finances to have the pregnancy get going.
@rudy7104 (78)
• Italy
26 Mar 07
Yeah, I agree with that idea of giving $500 as a price of not to end their pregnancies. I know that this is not the solution against rampant abortion but it can be of help in saving life for the unborn babies to go and shine for life. We all know that abortion is a hindrance towards life andsi against the law of pro-creation.
The Republican Senator also has a good mathematical calculation as the bases of saving unborn child of saying that a change of 5% alone in Texas out of the 75,000 abortion last year can be a good replacement from those who lost in Iraq and this 5% can have the possibility of showing on how beautiful life will be in the future.
@Lannie (26)
• Philippines
26 Mar 07
For me it's a mortal sin to kill a human, and it's your own blood. If I was pregnant, I would not let the baby to be abort. I know some of us has own financial problem, but I would not let to have an abortion to have a money....
