Given that

• Decreasing the abortion rate is a worthy goal,
• Abortions have increased over the last four years for the first time in decades,
• Individual choice is a fundamental American value, including in medical care,
• Most states have already determined where they stand on the legality of abortion,
• The criminal justice system is highly ineffective at creating societal change (Prohibition, the drug war),

Here is my brainstorm on how we can decrease the number of abortions and encourage a life-honoring culture. These ideas can be enacted in both blue states and red, regardless of the current legal status of abortion.

Prevent

• Offer hormonal birth control over the counter.
• Provide sex-ed courses that emphasize contraceptives and consent.
• Review, reform, and improve enforcement of laws punishing non-consensual sex.
• Invest in research for improved birth control methods, particularly male birth control.

Provide

• Job security
  1. At least six weeks paid family leave for all employees.
  2. Prohibit discrimination based on pregnancy or parental status.
  3. Review and revise laws to ensure that fathers receive the same incentives to care for children that mothers do.
• Healthcare
  1. Invest in maternal health centers in population centers with the worst maternal death rates.
  2. Maternal care funding for all women below a certain income level.
  3. Fund early childhood medical care.
  4. Set up a health commission for improving maternal health outcomes.
• Childcare
  1. Pass and fund a child payment plan (such as Senator Romney’s).
  2. Invest in childcare centers in low-income communities.
  3. Revise laws that may discourage multi-generational households, i.e. prohibit zoning laws and HOA rules that prohibit non-nuclear-family households.
• Education
  1. Expand public schools to include pre-k programs, including funding for new buildings and teachers
  2. Create incentives for school districts to increase teacher pay before investing in any other infrastructure.