“Just give the baby up for adoption!” This is what many individuals are told when they are considering abortion.  While this is a perfectly valid choice for some, what this statement does not acknowledge is how expensive it is to be pregnant and give birth in America.  The results of a 5-year survey of people who have had at least one abortion says that 40% of people do not feel financially ready to have a child.  

According to Family Foundation (KFF) Health System Tracker, the average cost of pregnancy, delivery, and post postpartum care is 18,865. Private insurance usually covers a good percentage of this, but even with insurance, many women still end up with hefty bills.

According to a 2020 study, “the average new mother with insurance will pay more than $4,500 for her labor and delivery.  This includes insurance claims data for the cost of all the treatments and services the women used during the year prior to their delivery, during the delivery itself, and for three months after—to account for any health services that might have affected their pregnancy outcomes.”  Remember, that price tag is for women with insurance– high deductibles and co-pays mean that even with insurance, costs can quickly spiral out of control.  

It takes a lot of time, effort, money, and physical and emotional strain to go through pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery afterwards.  For a standard, vaginal birth with no complications, a six-week recovery is recommended, but the US does not offer any sort of federal paid-leave to allow women recovery time.  The physical toll of going back to work before she is recovered or the financial toll of not being paid for any leave is something that must be factored in when discussing abortion.