Letting states outlaw abortion will harm women, and, in turn, U.S. health outcome 

Returning the determination of abortion legality to the states will, without question, harm economically disadvantaged women and further compound health disparities.

Data show that preventable health disparities exist because of economic, environmental or social disadvantages that adversely affect a specific population. Black women, for example, are more likely than white women to die in childbirth because of a whole host of economic and medical disparities, but that gap is smaller in states that have expanded Medicaid.

Outlawing abortion in deeply red states will further perpetuate a two-tiered system in which women have different rights and health benefits depending on where they live. In blue states, low-income women will have access to health care through Medicaid, including abortion if they need it. And in some red states, low-income women won’t have access to health coverage or abortion.

This will harm everyone — leading to poorer health outcomes and more poverty. States that are likely to outlaw abortion are the same states that are less likely to give families the health care, educational opportunities, or financial support that could help lift people out of poverty. As a result, children born into families that would have preferred an abortion will be more likely to live in poverty than equivalent families in blue states.

People with means will be able to travel to blue states to get an abortion if necessary. But the women without resources will be left to have unwanted children or children with chromosomal abnormalities and be forced to put their own health at risk in some cases.

Gimmicky Giveaways Will Only Make Inflation Worse 

President Biden has declared many times in recent weeks that fighting inflation is his top economic priority. Although the Federal Reserve is primarily responsible for maintaining price stability, Biden’s attitude is the right one at a time when prices are rising at their fastest rate in over 40 years and Americans across the political spectrum rate inflation as the biggest problem facing the United States. Unfortunately, in their sincere desire to “do something” about inflation, the Biden administration and many in Congress have embraced expensive and gimmicky giveaways that will more likely than not make the problem even worse.

Last week, Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for 90 days and encouraged state governments to suspend their own gas taxes. It’s understandable that the president wants to relieve pain at the pump for families, but his proposal would save the average American family less than $50 while costing the Treasury roughly $10 billion. That’s the same cost as a bill to fund the purchase of covid vaccines, tests, and treatments that has been stalled for months, in part because of disagreements about how to pay for it.

Unlike that covid funding bill or other targeted investments, a suspension of the gas tax would not be economically beneficial. Oil refineries are already operating at or near their maximum capacity, meaning gas supply cannot be significantly increased in the near-term. The base price of gas will likely rise to offset the effect of the tax holiday, because if it doesn’t, the amount of gas people are seeking to buy at a lower effective price will outstrip what can be supplied and consumers will experience shortages. And to the extent oil companies and gas stations can pass any savings onto consumers, that money will be used to bid up prices in other sectors that are also experiencing supply shortages. Inflation is the result of too many dollars chasing too few goods and services, and giving away more dollars to bid up prices is the last thing policymakers should be doing right now.