# NEWS FLASH - Abortion Reduces Crime **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 26, 2001, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-abortion-reduces-crime/63463 "2001-04-26T23:59:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-abortion-reduces-crime/63463/21 "2001-04-28T04:58:36Z")
**Sagasumono** : > [@](#): > > A. Well, 2 people go ot get together,have unprotected sex. The female gets pregnet, she can’t afford the baby,so it’s convient to just kill it. Therefore it’s the same mistake as if someone caught AIDS,which is unprotected sex. Do you realize that even with appropriate precautions, it’s still possible to become pregnant or transmit disease? Do you support abortion in cases where birth control was used, but failed? If not, why not? > [@](#): > > IMHO if every woman was to remain on Birth Control ills untill the time she is ready to conceive,it wouldreduce the crime even more so. Hmm… now there’s a thought. [devil’s advocate] Since a woman knows that there’s always a chance she might be raped – just like there’s always a chance that any sex will lead to pregnancy – isn’t it her responsibility to be on birth control, just in case? Isn’t it just as wrong for rape victims to have abortions? ---
**Author:** ![Sagasumono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Sagasumono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sagasumono)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-abortion-reduces-crime/63463/22 "2001-04-28T08:15:05Z")
Yeesh. Well,I suppose my point of view is irrevalent because no one else has it. A baby isint the same as a broken leg so it’s irrevalent to use that as an example,but that is how I am seeing it. Ah,but this thread is to personal for me anyhow and I just sarted posting here. So instead of feeing or causing ill will… \*Gives everyone who disagrees with him a big kiss on the forehead and goes back to being blaquneese and grateful that he is here." 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-abortion-reduces-crime/63463/23 "2001-04-28T11:27:24Z")
Crime is most directly related to poverty. So, yes, it stands to reason that killing poor people in significant quantities will reduce crime. That doesn’t mean it’s a good policy. Obviously not everyone believes that abortion = the loss of human life. But, Sua, since you asked, I can tell you that from my perspective this information is not relevant to the central issue of the abortion debate. It’s interesting, but I really can’t see how it would affect most people’s opinions: if you’re pro-choice, there doesn’t need to be a reason to have an abortion (i.e., something other than a personal reason); if you’re pro-life, less crime probably does not offset the loss of millions of unborn lives. ---
**Author:** ![tourbot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@tourbot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tourbot)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-abortion-reduces-crime/63463/24 "2001-04-28T12:51:37Z")
There seems to be a general consensus that this does not have much impact on the abortion debate one way or the other. But I think there is a larger issue which noone has picked up on so far. Can this sort of information help us determine what sorts of conditions are more likely to lead to criminal behaviour? If we know what sorts of conditions lead to criminal behaviour, are there social policies which can be affective in comabting those conditions? Such as? And what about (supposedly non-violent) white collar crime? Anyone have any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-abortion-reduces-crime/63463/25 "2001-04-28T21:58:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sagasumono \* > Yeesh. Well,I suppose my point of view is irrevalent because no one else has it. A baby isint the same as a broken leg so it’s irrevalent to use that as an example,but that is how I am seeing it. That’s not why it’s irrelevant. It’s irrelevant because it doesn’t matter. If responsibility were truly what matters, a broken leg would be the same as a baby. Since you believe that there is a difference, your argument must be based on something beyond responsibility. I don’t see why you have such a problem admitting something as obvious as that. It’s like saying “What matters is the color. But of course a cherry is completely different from rust, because rust isn’t alive”. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-abortion-reduces-crime/63463/26 "2001-04-28T22:09:11Z")
What I found most interesting about this study was that it was completely rejected by conservatives who are usually the **first** to blame single motherhood for crime increases. Well, if single motherhood causes crime (and I am not of the opinion that it does), it follows logically that preventing single motherhood should - to some degree - prevent crime. I mean it’s not rocket science. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2001, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-abortion-reduces-crime/63463/27 "2001-04-29T03:40:57Z")
Oh, and Sagasumono, I never said that your **point of view** was irrelevant. I said that **responsibility** , with respect to your point of view, is irrelevant. The fact that you are trying to distinguish between a baby and a broken leg when, responsibility wise, they are the same supports my claim that responsibility is not the controlling factor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-abortion-reduces-crime/63463.md?page=1)