Jim Wallis: What a Low-Income Mother Told Me About Abortion

I meet a lot of very interesting people at book tables while signing their copies of God's Politics. Even in brief exchanges I learn about who is reading the book, what they really care about, and what gives them hope.

Recently, I met a woman who told me an amazing story. While I was inscribing her book she told me that her daughter was graduating from Harvard and how proud she was. Because I teach part-time at Harvard, I figured she was making that connection. I smiled and told her that she should indeed be proud of her daughter and that I thought Harvard was a great school.

But then she added, "I was a low-income mom at the time. And if I hadn't got food stamps and health care, I would have aborted that child. I would have aborted my daughter. And now she's graduating from Harvard. I want you to tell people that if they want to prevent abortions, they need to support low-income women like me." She looked me straight in the eyes and was very clear in what she had to say to me. She had a message and wanted me to share it. So I am.

Two new and potentially significant efforts have finally emerged in the Congress, aimed at practically and dramatically reducing the abortion rate in America. The measures proposed could make a real difference in changing the circumstances that make abortions more likely, rather than the usual political practice of using the issue as a litmus test--on both the right and the left - with nothing ever really happening to prevent more abortions.

At the request of the bill's sponsors, I made the following supportive statement:

“Sojourners/Call to Renewal applauds the recent introduction of two pieces of legislation in the House of Representatives aimed at dramatically reducing abortions in this country. We hope these two bills (the Abortion Reduction Act and the Pregnant Women Support Act) will help deepen the national conversation and lead to concrete action.”

Read my entire statement here.