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Minds Without Borders

A thoughtful look at how culture, society, politics, media and economics affect us all.

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MONEY

Make Babies Affordable Again

Only the rich can afford the luxury of having a family now

7 min readMar 1, 2025

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Modern medicine makes it possible for fertile couples to avoid pregnancies and for many infertile people to achieve them. So for the first time in history, it should be possible for most people to choose.

The technology allows it, but our economic and political systems don’t.

Some people who want kids can’t afford to start a family, while some women who don’t want to have children are forced to give birth against their will.

It’s ironic that we’ve overcome biology with medical technologies like IUDs and IVF that make such choices physically possible, while we impose economic and political forces that make such choices financially impossible or legally impermissible.

Throughout history, parenthood was a nearly inevitable part of life

Conception, pregnancy, birth and child care didn’t cost a thing except for the efforts of the mother and the family members who assisted her.

Eventually in western society, families would pay a small fee to a midwife. Later, a doctor would be the one to attend the birth, and doctors …

Minds Without Borders
Minds Without Borders

Published in Minds Without Borders

A thoughtful look at how culture, society, politics, media and economics affect us all.

Michelle Teheux
Michelle Teheux

Written by Michelle Teheux

Lover of literature. Former newspaper editor. Fascinated by everything. Contact: [email protected]. To buy me a coffee:

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