I think there is a huge relevance between abortion rights and the economy of a country, in a couple different ways. First of all, most abortions, if any, weren't free, so the economic status of the woman desiring the abortion was to be considered. And, the economic status of the woman, during Weimar Germany, was based on the economic status of Germany as a whole: the unemployment, what jobs were even available, etc. The economy also plays a role in getting an abortion vs. not getting one. This also ties into the economic status of the woman, but still affects the country. Think about what an abortion costs vs. what raising a child costs. There's a huge different there, so again, this is a question of the overall economic status of the country, and what jobs are available, as well as the living environment, which is cost-related.
Class and abortion have a strange relationship in my opinion. The reading describes "the presence of so many "elegantly dressed" women" at a KPD protest. Women of all classes united against the illegality of abortion due to their not wanting to be regarded as "baby machines". Not only does a poor financial situation prevent the purchase of birth control, but it also creates a terrible circumstance to raise a child.
Personally, I think the right to an abortion should be present regardless of the economic climate. However, as this article shows, when the economy is terrible abortion is perhaps more necessary than when there is general prosperity. The working class woman who honestly can't afford another child should have the right to abort their pregnancy, especially if they plan on using illegal avenues to achieve that abortion anyway. I think, if Germany really wanted to increase the birthrate, they should have made abortion legal, but expensive. Unfortunately, this is also where Caroline's point comes into effect: should the government sponsor the abortion if the woman is poor?
I think that the reason why abortian rights became such a discourse during the Weimar era was because of Germany's economic crises. The bad economy the country was in brought forth the issues of women not having the choice of wether they wanted the child or not. So many people were unemployed, so they were in a terrible situation to raise a child. If the Weimar era had not been constantly shadowed by a terrible economic state paragraph 218 would have probabaly not been brought up until later.
In America today, we are used to thinking of abortion primarily in moral and religious terms, and our media present the issue in this way. But even in America, abortion relates directly to the economy and to social class. Both the access to abortion, and public funding for abortion, are more critical issues for poor American women. In Germany in 1931, the situation for women was much worse. Abortion was criminalized throughout the country, with few exceptions, which meant that there was never any public financial support for abortions, and most poor women could only get dangerous illegal abortions. The economy of Germany also polarized political parties, which used abortion as a tool to recruit members. The Communists hoped to recruit poor women; other parties hoped to recruit people opposed to abortion. So a nation's economy -- how much money its women have control over, how much money the public has for public health programs, and how poverty and depression shape economic-based political parties -- immediately affects whether abortions are available, and on what terms. And feminism, like abortion, is directly affected by a nation's economy.
The economy has a great effect on the incidence of abortion, for which there are multiple reasons, but only a minimal effect on the right to an abortion. That minimal effect lies in the role of women in society as childbearers and family nurturers, which 218 propagated. As the economy worsened, women had a role in upholding the social order. it was more important to be mothers and nurturers when the economy was in trouble. For an economically troubled Germany, Woman must uphold the values of the family, as stated by Grossmann. This is the only apparent relevance the economy has on the right to an abortion.
Grossmann mostly discusses the KPD involvement in the abortion debate and sex reform. I'm interested in how other parties and religions influenced the debate on abortion. What were the clergy saying? What about women on the right who wanted an abortion? I feel like Grossmann ignores a large section of the populace.
I think that there is some relevance to a country's economy and abortion rights. It mainly depends on financial matters. First of all, if a country (like Germany) experiences economic distress, it is normally wise to put off on having children until the state of the economy improves. It seems just crazy to introduce more mouths to feed in an economy that's not fit for handling that. Let's also not forget, if times are tough, unemployment becomes a widespread thing. If an already impoverished woman has a child, she may become even more impoverished and unable to support her child, due to laws enforced by the government system. Many women were unfit to raise a child in those days, so I don't think that abortion should have been forbidden. I believe that it's a woman's right to choose what she does for her body. She may have a medical condition, be impoverished, etc...
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