Putting the choice in pro-choice

Cross posted from my campaign blog, https://www.mikefor45.com/blog/putting-a-choice-in-pro-choice

I am 100% pro-choice. I believe that bodily autonomy is a fundamental human right—the bedrock upon which all other freedoms are built. Abortion is healthcare, and when politicians interfere with medical decisions, they are practicing medicine without a license. The decision to carry a pregnancy must remain exclusively between a patient and their physician.

However, we must ask ourselves: In today’s America, is “choice” a reality or a luxury?

The Illusion of Choice

Even in states where reproductive rights are protected, the “choice” to raise a child is often stripped away by a crushing reality. When food, housing, and healthcare costs are astronomical, the decision to start a family becomes a financial impossibility.

While right-wing extremists work to ban abortion even in cases of rape or medical necessity, they simultaneously dismantle the social safety net that makes parenting viable. With gun violence now the leading cause of death for American children and affordability a thing of the past, it is no wonder birth rates are at historic lows. Is it truly a “choice” when the alternatives are poverty, debt, or danger?

Why Access and Autonomy Matter

The data is clear: the primary reasons for elective abortions are financial instability, lack of support, or timing. Late-term abortions are almost exclusively reserved for tragic circumstances where the mother’s life is at risk or the pregnancy is no longer viable. No one reaches the third trimester and changes their mind on a whim.

We must also address the double standard of autonomy. As a cisgendered man, the law ensures I cannot be forced to donate blood, tissue, or organs to save another life—even if the procedure is risk-free. Equal protection under the law demands that having a uterus does not strip a person of that same fundamental right.

A Tale of Two Systems

Imagine a young woman who discovers an unplanned pregnancy. She is hardworking but lacks resources; her parents are aging, and her partner is equally unprepared.

• In our current system: She faces a mountain of debt. Even with insurance, birth can cost $18,000, skyrocketing into the six figures if complications arise. Adoption isn’t a “free” alternative when the medical costs of pregnancy alone can ruin a person financially. Also, as an adopted child myself, that system is rife with its own issues. She is trapped between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

• In a just system: Imagine this same woman living in a society with a living wage, subsidized childcare, and universal healthcare. Here, she has a real choice. She can choose to be a parent because the system supports her, rather than punishing her.

The Path Forward: A Comprehensive Plan

To give every person a real choice, we must build a nation that values life both before and after birth. My plan focuses on five pillars:

• Reproductive Freedom - Codify unrestricted abortion access as a National Constitutional Right.

• Economic Dignity - Establish a livable federal minimum wage; full-time work must support a life of dignity.

• Family Support - Implement more robust paid family leave and subsidized childcare to ensure no parent has to choose between a paycheck and their child.

• Public Safety - Enact common-sense gun safety laws to ensure the United States is a safe place for children to grow up.

• Healthcare Reform - Move toward a system of universal healthcare where medical debt never dictates a family’s future.

We must strive for a world where people are free to speak, love, and live as they choose—a world where the government supports its people and the future looks bright. To get there we need only move forward, together.