Often ignored in the controversy about the U.S. Supreme Court decision to allow states to forbid abortion, is the cost of having a child in this country. If we care about children, perhaps we ought to make it easier to have them.

Rose Marie Berger, an editor at Sojourners magazine, visited the issue of free births (Sojo.net, May, 2023.) She quoted extensively from an article by Elizabeth Bruenig (The Atlantic, “Make Birth Free,” July 9, 2022.) According to the article, a birth in the United States costs an average of $18,265. The average not covered by insurance, the article states, is about $2,850. Presumably, poorer mothers tend not to have any medical insurance.

Raising a child continues to cost, of course—food, adequate shelter, clothes, doctor visits, and so on. In addition, unusual medical conditions can render more expenses than any normal household can cover. Some parents have family medical insurance through a job. Having a job, however, is not a guarantee of medical insurance. Lesser paying, more seasonal jobs, often have no medical insurance.

While Medicare provides medical insurance for older Americans, medical care for children often depends on what kind of job their parents have.

If we want to save children’s lives, both those unborn and those already born, we could start simply with making children more affordable for average Americans.