Tax Abortion

Tax Abortion: A Pro-Life Payments Proposal

For Submittal to the United States Congress

Prepared by Pro-Life Payments

I. Introduction for Taxing Abortion

This legislation proposes a 100% tax on surgical abortion procedures and a 500% tax on abortion pills, levied on medical providers and pharmacies, to advance two critical national objectives: (1) reducing the tragedy of abortion through price-driven demand reduction, and (2) generating revenue to offset the societal costs of abortion. Drawing on historical precedents in tobacco taxation and the moral imperative articulated by early reproductive rights pioneers, this bill aligns fiscal policy with the protection of life.

II. Moral Imperative to End Abortion

  1. The Human Cost of Abortion

Abortion represents a profound moral failure, as noted by Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, who condemned the practice as a “disgrace to civilization” and emphasized that “no matter how early [an abortion] was performed, it was taking life” [2]. Sanger warned that widespread abortion reflects societal recklessness, stating:

“The hundreds of thousands of abortions performed in America each year are a disgrace to civilization” [2].

This legislation recognizes abortion as a symptom of systemic failures in moral education and healthcare access, while calling for alternatives that support the family and prioritize life.

  1. Historical Parallels

Like slavery and segregation, abortion targets vulnerable populations. Over 60% of abortions are sought by low-income women, perpetuating cycles of poverty and exploitation [9]. Taxing abortion providers disrupts this systemic injustice, ensuring that institutions profiting from abortion contribute to its societal costs.

III. Economic Justification 

  1. Baseline Revenue Projections

Tax Component Annual Procedures Avg. Cost Tax Rate Revenue
Surgical abortions 930,160 $508 100% $472.5M
Abortion pills 642,700 $580 500% $1.86B
Total Initial Revenue $2.33B
  1. Adjusted Revenue (Post-Demand Reduction)

Using tobacco tax elasticity models (10% price increase → 3–5% consumption decline [4]):

Category Original Volume Reduced Volume Revenue Impact
Surgical abortions 930,160 558,096 (-40%) $283.5M
Abortion pills 642,700 237,799 (-63%) $689.6M
Total Revenue $973.1M

Assumes 40% surgical abortion decline (100% price increase) and 63% pill decline (500% price increase), capped at current medication abortion market share.

IV. Projected Outcomes

  1. Lives Preserved

Metric Calculation Result
Total abortions prevented 930,160 — 40% + 642,700 — 63% 755,941/year
Net lives saved* 755,941 — (1 – 0.15) 642,550/year

Conservative 15% adjustment for illegal/unsafe abortions, consistent with CDC post-restriction data [5].

  1. Fiscal and Social Benefits
  2. Revenue allocation: Direct $973.1M annually to:

– Prenatal care expansion ($400M)
– Adoption subsidies ($300M)
– Crisis pregnancy centers ($273.1M)

3. Healthcare savings: Avoid $340M/year in Medicaid-covered abortion complications [5].

V. Conclusion

This bill addresses both moral and fiscal imperatives:

  1. Moral clarity: Honors Sanger’s vision of reducing abortion through education and access to alternatives, not taxpayer-subsidized procedures.
  2. Economic responsibility: Generates nearly $1B annually while incentivizing medical providers to shift toward life-affirming care.

We urge Congress to act swiftly, recognizing that a nation permitting 1.6 million annual abortions cannot claim moral or fiscal integrity. As Sanger cautioned, “Reckless breeding perpetuates poverty, disease, and injustice” [1]. By taxing abortion, we affirm the value of life and redirect resources toward holistic solutions.

Data sourced from CDC abortion surveillance reports, Guttmacher Institute, and CBO analyses [4] [5] [9].

Citations:

[1] https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/womens-studies-and-feminism/analysis-margaret-sanger-morality-birth-control

[2] https://www.equip.org/articles/margaret-sanger-no-gods-no-masters/

[3] https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/do-we-have-to-pay-taxes-if-the-money-is-used-to-support-abortion-11061

[4] https://www.kiplinger.com/taxes/604864/taxes-and-abortion-without-roe-v-wade

[5] https://www.congress.gov/congressional-report/112th-congress/house-report/38/1

[6] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4536630/

[7] https://family.jotwell.com/reclaiming-abortion-as-a-moral-and-religious-decision/

[8] https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/if-my-government-funds-abortions-why-pay-taxes

[9] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10098009/

[10] https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/pill-margaret-sanger-1879-1966/

[11] https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/margaretsangermoralityofbirthcontrol.htm

[12] https://www.reddit.com/r/Abortiondebate/comments/1d45tqn/what_do_you_think_of_this_quote_by_margaret_sanger/

[13] https://ohiosenate.gov/news/on-the-record/abortion-is-killing-the-black-community

[14] https://sanger.hosting.nyu.edu/documents/speech_morality_and_bc/

[15] https://www.azquotes.com/author/12968-Margaret_Sanger?p=3

[16] https://www.plannedparenthood.org/uploads/filer_public/cc/2e/cc2e84f2-126f-41a5-a24b-43e093c47b2c/210414-sanger-opposition-claims-p01.pdf

[17] https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/264856.Margaret_Sanger

[18] https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/a-fundamental-violation-of-basic-human-rights/

[19] https://teachingamericanhistory.org/blog/margaret-sanger-the-woman-rebel/

[20] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/URLs_Cited/OT2018/18-483/18-483-2.pdf

[21] https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/first-american-birth-control-clinic-brownsville-clinic-1916

[22] https://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/comments/1i7fm4j/cmv_abortion_is_morally_wrong/

[23] https://www.americanprogress.org/article/abortion-as-a-moral-decision/

[24] https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/abortion-ethics-is-it-ever-okay/

[25] https://preborn.com/abolish-abortion-ethics-arguments-legal/

[26] https://pluralism.org/the-ethics-of-abortion

[27] https://www.rationalrealm.com/philosophy/ethics/contraception-abortion-utilitarian-view-page5.html

[28] https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/5-reasons-why-abortion-health-care

[29] https://www.thoughtco.com/arguments-for-and-against-abortion-3534153

[30] https://www.statenews.org/government-politics/2019-07-03/ethical-questions-raised-about-crisis-pregnancy-center-tax-credit-bill-and-one-of-its-co-sponsors

[31] https://www.project-syndicate.org/onpoint/economy-wide-impact-of-reproductive-freedom-by-laura-tyson-2024-09

[32] https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2007/11/state-abortion-counseling-policies-and-fundamental-principles-informed-consent

[33] https://abort73.com/abortion/common_objections

[34] https://prochoice.org/wp-content/uploads/NAF_Ethical-_Principles.pdf

[35] https://www.uffl.org/vol16/gardiner06.pdf

[36] https://americaneedsfatima.org/blog/21-quotes-by-margaret-sanger

[37] https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/19/19-1392/184908/20210726131118652_19-1392_Amici%20Brief%20In%20Support%20of%20Petitioners.pdf

[38] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Sanger

[39] https://sanger.hosting.nyu.edu/articles/ms_abortion/

[40] https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Blog/Item/Sanger