Crime Down, Abortion Up, Are They Related?

By Major Van Harl USAF Ret

Abortion Newborns Babys
Crime Down, Abortion Up, Are They Related?
Major Van Harl USAF Ret
Major Van Harl USAF Ret

Wisconsin –-(Ammoland.com)-  I am a boring old Methodist and I try to live within the guidance and standards that my Church subscribes to, but in most cases it would be a moral standard not an economic standard.

What if my church came out with a decision that because of the oil shortage and global warming all good Methodists will from now on, only drive sub-compact vehicles that get at least 35 MPG?

In the hearts of our senior Church leadership this would be seen as the morally correct action to take to help our country and planet. But it would in fact be an economic decision that could have major impact on US business.

Population wise and buying wise the United Methodist Church along with its members have large purse strings. If all the Methodists in a small town of say 25,000 people decide to follow Church guidance on car buying, it would have a consequential impact on that town.

First off none of the big three US auto makers, manufacture a small car that gets 35 MPG, so now only the Toyota dealer will be selling cars to Methodists.

What if the other religions in town decide to show their solidarity and support for the frugal Methodists and they too only buy cars that get 35 MPG? Suddenly what seemed like a great moral stand to take for Methodists could in fact ruin any number of auto businesses in that town or the Nation.

Freakonomics
Freakonomics :

After receiving a politically sensitive e-mail from a friend, I called that person to discuss the topic and how it was covered in the book Freakonomics . It is not a new book, in fact it has been out since 2005, but the Colonel gave me a blow by blow detailed description as she read it, so I had to read it as soon as she put it down.

The number one item I took from the book is “if morality represents an ideal world, then economics represents the actual world.” In other words dollars over DNA drive the world.

While reading the book a few years back I happened to watch the O’Reilly Factor Show on Fox. There was a talking head on the show trying to make his point that Planned Parenthood should be funded to provide free birth control medication to its patients. He also wanted insurance companies to provide birth control prescription coverage for its customers.

O’Reilly was saying no way, even when the same insurance companies provide coverage for Viagra. O’Reilly was trying to make the point that Viagra was for a male medical problem, where birth control medication was a matter of choice. I may have even bought his idea a little, if I had not been reading Freakonomics. O’Reilly is wrong and I believe he basis his ideas on morality and not economics.

I assume that his thinking is, if you cut back on prescription birth control you will be able to cut back on out of wedlock sex, but that is just not the case. You still have the sex and now you have the unwanted pregnancy.

Crime has taken a major turn for the better in this country and everyone is standing in line patting themselves on the back with their explanation for why there are fewer bad guys committing crime.

What is happening is there are fewer bad guys to commit the crimes and it all goes back to Roe v. Wade; the legalization of abortion in the US in 1973(this according to Freakonomics, also see Donohue-Levitt Hypothesis) .

Crime Down, Abortion Up
Crime Down, Abortion Up, Are They Related?

In the first year there were 750, 000 abortions and by 1980 there were 1.6 million abortions (note: since the 1990’s the rate of abortions has fallen). Most of the women who had abortions were in life situations where they were not ready or prepared to raise a child and would have subjected that child to a poorer standard of living. A diminished standard of life that would compound into the next generation’s poor standard for just existing and this would produce more poverty driven crime. Remove the potential criminal and you diminish crime; hard on the morality issue but great for economics.

Fewer criminals means less of the general public having to suffer both physically and financially because simply, they–the bad guys were never there, to inflict pain on the population.

So back to O’Reilly, provide the free birth control and I would suggest that in 15 to 20 years there will be yet again another unexplained drop in the crime rate. All you have to do as an individual is figure out where you will allow the crossing and co-mingling of your personal morality and economic motivation.

This is not a column about pro or con on Roe v. Wade, and the emotions of that issue on both sides. It is about the cold, hard and maybe heartless facts of economics.

Why do you think war is good for the winner’s economics but not necessarily for the winner’s morality?

Major Van Harl USAF Ret.
[email protected]

About Major Van Harl USAF Ret.:Major Van E. Harl USAF Ret., a career Police Officer in the U.S. Air Force was born in Burlington, Iowa, USA, in 1955. He was the Deputy Chief of police at two Air Force Bases and the Commander of Law Enforcement Operations at another. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Infantry School.  A retired Colorado Ranger and currently is an Auxiliary Police Officer with the Cudahy PD in Milwaukee County, WI.  His efforts now are directed at church campus safely and security training.  He believes “evil hates organization.”  [email protected]

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Chris Thompson

I have no problems with black or brown women getting abortions, in fact the more the better.. Less I’ll have to pay as a taxpayer for their welfare bs because they’re too lazy to work! There will be less thugs running around too.

I’m sick of having to pay for poor minorities laziness!

Bob Pegram

This Major is a poor excuse for a leader. He displays that he is not a Christian which fits in with belonging to a denomination that threw out the Bible as a standard decades ago. A Christian follows God’s moral standard. This man doesn’t, therefore he is not a Christian. Basic logic. Children are taught in government schools that we a products or macro-evolution. That idea means there is no basis for morality as the Major displays with his pro-baby killing position. Why is crime bad if there is no basis for morality? It is just king-of-the-hill mentality. If he… Read more »

Mike

I thought pro-2A people argued from facts. You should know better that correlation is not causation – otherwise the anti-gunners are right. The Freakanomics argument has been debunked over and over again… such as https://www.lifenews.com/2011/06/02/freakonomics-claim-abortion-drops-crime-rates-refuted-again/ and check out https://catholicgraymatters.blogspot.com/2012/01/debunking-freakonomics-argument-for.html but even if it were true – let’s say we could kill some percent of the population and eliminate almost all criminals – would it be worth it? Would we still be America? If you look at the numbers, there is a higher incidence of crime among African Americans. So would we be justified in killing blacks to reduce crime? I… Read more »

Dan Koch

Murder is murder. Be it a adult or the unborn. Killing unborn babies promotes a mind set the life is of no value and anyone can remove it at anytime. It promotes a disrespect for life and law. Abortion tells people I can remove a life anytime it get in my way. It promotes a acceptance of genocide and murder.

Cindy Clarke

Great point Mr. Koch.

Semachiah

This is an absurd argument! You must have gone to the same school as o’BAMA who recently equated the rise in Terrorism to Climate Change with ( https://www.allthatsnews.com/articles/politics/president-obama-says-terrorism-partially-caused-climate-change ). Maybe you went to school with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islami Fazl (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman who recently stated that “EVERYTHING” from Inflation to Earthquakes is caused by women wearing pants! The absurdity of all of these claims are equal. !st, not all abortions are the result of crime! Many are the result of consentual sex. 2nd, not all abortions are performed in a Doctor’s office. A device known as an IUD can… Read more »

Doug Underwood

Major,

Sir your question is not taking into fact of God’s law. Abortion is murder under God’s law period. Murder is a crime. While it is not included in the FBI’s crime stats and it may be legal under man’s law, it is still a crime.

Time after time God punished and or entirely destroyed nations who killed their children. Now it is the USA’s turn. As long as we murder our unborn children for any reason we are committing murder and we will suffer the punishment of God as a nation.

Mike the Limey

Another factor in the falling crime rate is the cessation of using leaded gasoline.
This correlation is borne out in many European nations where abortion has been legal for much longer & crime rates began falling 16-18 years after the lead was removed.
This doesn’t in any way take from the fact that legalising abortion has had a significant effect on reducing child abuse & crime.

ssgmarkcr

An interesting concept Mr. Harl. I haven’t read Freakonomics, though I think I’ll have to put it on my to-read list. While I can see how abortion could have an effect as you suggest, I wonder if it would have such an effect considering the large increases in single parent families in recent years. Also note that in the chart you supplied, the abortion rate and the violent crime rate are both declining. Wouldn’t a decline in the abortion rate translate into a rise in violent crime? I would also expect that if your theory were true, shouldn’t the decline… Read more »

jim

The Freakonomics report has been debunked, several times. In fact, correlations have been shown between rising crime and reduced abortion. Note also that in many cases, abortion among blacks is high and crime among blacks is rising. See https://prolifemn.blogspot.com/2011/06/does-legalized-abortion-reduce-crime.html