The core assertion of the Pro-Life movement is that children in their mothers’ wombs are real human beings whose lives should be protected. The Catechism states the following:
“The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation. [It] must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority” - CCC 2273
Therefore, it is mandatory for Catholics to demand the total abolition of abortion. Whether it happens all at once or gradually, it must be our goal.
The Welfare-State Alternative:
Unfortunately, many people feel a tension between various political commitments and want to find a way out of this duty. The most common tactic is to claim the economic policies of Pro-Choice politicians will “reduce the need for abortion”. And thus the Pro-Choice politician is the more practical option for a true Pro-Life voter.
Now, whether or not a robust welfare state is a good policy choice is besides the point. Catholics can disagree on that in good conscience. But there are huge problems – (both practical and philosophical) - with using the goal of a social welfare state to dismiss the need for legally protecting the unborn.
The Ethical Problem:
The first problem with this position is it ignores the rights of pre-birth children. For comparison, imagine a person who is really eager to alleviate the “root causes” of spousal abuse, but is tepid about actually outlawing the beating of one’s wife. You would immediately recognize this person is neglecting the fact that spousal abuse is a violation of women's rights and ought to be banned.
So the first way to respond is to ask:
“Do pre-birth babies have the right to not be killed? Shouldn’t the law explicitly protect that right?”
(Honestly, you’re not likely to get a straight answer. I think the people who go down this path know they're in out of bounds.)
The Practical Problem:
The other problem is practical. Ask the question:
“Can you name a country which has successfully eliminated abortion in the way you describe?”
Because the other problem with the person’s theory is that it is demonstrably untrue. If you look at the abortion statistics of countries which have the massive welfare structures your friend desires, you’ll find that abortion has comfortably ingrained itself in those societies.
Countries like France, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, and Sweden are often esteemed as having these sorts of systems. Yet if you look at their numbers from 2018, their rates of abortion were equal to or higher than that of the United States:
Social welfare alone, as is shown above with numbers from various countries, doesn't achieve anything to reduce or eliminate abortion. Making abortion illegal alone doesn't achieve this either, as has been shown throughout history. What if... the combination of both is required? Universal healthcare including free-of-charge giving birth, support for single mothers, a reliable and trusted system for managing foster parents/adoptions, and especially a lot of support for low-income families who have very little choice at all. This might even help to reduce poverty and crime in general. But of course this kind of thinking is not compatible with capitalism.
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