Reducing Unwanted Pregnancies and Abortion Through Prevention in Early Childhood ©

Few national policy issues are as contentious as abortion, and few so polarize citizens concerned with values and government. Many citizens argue passionately for policies to reduce abortion rates, such as prohibiting late stage abortions or requiring parental and/or father notification. These policies remain divisive, as many individuals advocate fervently that abortion should remain legal and accessible. The lack of consensus among citizens leaves policy makers with insecure ground on which to form politically sustainable public policy. Cultivation of new public policy options through research and innovation may hold promise of attaining greater public consensus and policy success.

This academic paper will draw on existing research to investigate the policy avenue of early prevention as a strategy to reduce unwanted pregnancy and abortion. Social science research indicates that early childhood is the period in which individuals are most susceptible to family or outside influences on later outcomes such as social relationships and economic status. Aspects of early family life such as parent-child interactions and socioeconomic status have been consistent predictors of later life outcomes. Furthermore, research provides many instances of effective social policy interventions that target early childhood and that positively impact social and economic outcomes in later life such as social attachments to others and economic status. Examples of policy initiatives identified as effective include domestic violence prevention, high quality early education, parenting classes, family support through home visitation, and WIC.

These findings regarding policy interventions in early childhood are of no small consequence for abortion, for the social and economic outcomes they can influence are a pivotal part of the context in which a woman makes decisions about becoming a mother. A woman's support network and economic status have been linked to abortion and the reasons given for having an abortion. Related, and no less important, research indicates that poor women represent a disproportionate share of women that have elected to have an abortion. Behavior is only partially determined by poverty, however early childhood experiences are consistent risk factor for poverty and behavior in adulthood.

These findings provide a clear foundation for the idea that social policy interventions that focus on early childhood experiences could likely positively affect social and economic precursors of unwanted pregnancy and abortion. If children growing up in poverty and/or conflictive family environments are at greater risk for unwanted pregnancy and abortion in adulthood, then it follows that policy initiatives designed to strengthen the early family experiences of children could be an effective strategy of prevention.

No study I am aware of has collected and comprehensively synthesized the relevant evidence from the varied pertinent academic literatures, including child development, sociology, abortion, and public policy. The paper I propose, therefore, seeks to systematically analyze and assess the merits of the proposed policy avenue of early prevention to reduce abortion, and in so doing, to provide a foundation for a new line research.

If the proposed policy avenue were through research affirmed as sound, our society would have recourse to a significant new strategy to reduce unwanted pregnancy and abortion rates, one arguably complementary with prevailing policy options. Moreover, in this new policy avenue there is promise of positively impacting a multiplicity of social and economic outcomes in adult life, not just unwanted pregnancy and abortion.

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it follows that policy initiatives designed to strengthen the early family experiences of children could be an effective strategy of prevention.

how exactly is the govt going to strengthen the family experiences of individual children? It's a lovely thought, but not very practical. What do you want the govt to do? Make it illegal for fathers to walk out on their children? Redistribute wealth so no one is poor?

Also, another story posted recently pointed out that abortion rates are climbing the fastest among women over 25. These women are generally educated and not poor. What do we do to stop them from killing their kids?

... domestic violence prevention, high quality early education, parenting classes, family support through home visitation, and WIC.

Nanny-stater-troll.

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