Why the US is the least "pro-life" country in the developed world
American conservatives claim to be “pro-life”. They are not. Take their decades-long campaign to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Conservatives say it is a fight for life. It is nothing of the sort. Desperate women will get abortions. Criminalizing the procedure only pushes it into dark alleys.
If they were truly pro-life, they would lobby for policies to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies. They could start by mandating comprehensive sex-ed — including ready access to free contraception for all sexually active people.
Further, they would support and pay for programs that would make it easier for parents to afford to raise children. However, despite all their pious bleating, they put no money behind their message. Their parsimony reveals their complete indifference to life. America spends proportionately less on social support programs than any other industrial country. In contrast, the Scandinavian countries, which all have extensive social support, have lower abortion rates.
But that is not the only way the US is the developed country most hostile to life. The statistics paint a grim picture.
Life Expectancy
Americans live shorter lives than people in other industrial countries. Amongst all nations, the US is #46 in life expectancy. We are even behind many undeveloped countries like Cuba. A child born in Japan today will live six years longer on average than a child born in America. A true pro-lifer would demand America do better.
Maternal Mortality Rate
America’s maternal mortality rate is the worst in the developed world. And unlike the other industrial countries, where rates are declining, America’s is increasing. As it stands, 26.4 women die giving birth for every 100,000 total births. The next worst is the UK, with 9.2 deaths. If America were the world's greatest country, we would have a lower maternal mortality rate than Finland (3.8). But while the baying mob of misogynists lobbies for the pointless criminalization of abortion, American women are dying in childbirth at seven times the rate of Finnish women.
Infant Mortality Rate
American newborns are doing no better. The US is #44 in infant mortality with 6.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births — again the worst rate in the industrial world. Singapore is the world leader at 2.3 infant deaths/1,000 live births. And even the communist paradise of Cuba (5.8) is doing a better job than the US. That should embarrass the self-reverential “pro-life” crowd.
Homicide Rate
Here America is awful. The US homicide rate is #112 worst in the world. There are 111 countries where you are less likely to be murdered. It is not just that the country is awash in guns. It is also that the 2nd amendment absolutists celebrate shooting people. “Stand your ground” laws are anathema to life. The celebration of a ”good guy with a gun” is a clarion call to vigilantism and “shoot first”. And it is not just civilians. Most of the First World’s police forces are armed. But no one kills citizens at a faster clip than American cops.
Obesity Rate
America is #10 in the world. If you discount small Pacific island nations, the US is #2 behind only Kuwait. And if you count just developed countries, the US is #1. Why? Look at the resistance to sugar taxes. And consider the political power of industrial food to put God only knows what addictive additives in what we eat. The “pro-life” conservative clearly believes in an “eat crap and die” approach to nutrition.
Universal Health Coverage
The self-described “pro-life” conservative is also horrified at the thought that all Americans should have access to quality healthcare. As a result, one out of 11 Americans has no healthcare coverage. And if they achieve their aim of eviscerating Obamacare the number of uncovered would increase by millions. Conservatives are also fiercely resistant to the idea that Medicare should be allowed to negotiate prescription drug prices — leaving many to forgo the drugs that keep them alive.
Regulation Busting
There is none more aggressive at putting profit over people than a so-called "pro-life” conservative. No doubt there is some excessive regulation. But how decimating vehicle emission standards - while hobbling air and water purity regulations - is pro-life, is anyone's guess
The Death Penalty
You cannot be both “pro-life” and “pro-death penalty”. So conservatives have to explain how the most enthusiastic death penalty states are the most likely to ban abortion.
Conclusion
Within America itself, the Red States tend to do worse on the above metrics than the Blue States — especially in the Bible Belt. It takes chutzpah to claim that you are pro-life when your policies kill people. But conservatives have no shame. And religious conservatives are especially pro-death.