NBC reporter says ‘economic impact’ of ‘birthing people’ not being able to have abortions is ‘devastating’
She also said "it makes financial sense" for companies to provide their workers abortion travel benefits
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NBC News Correspondent Jo Ling Kent called pregnant women "birthing people" and discussed the terrible "economic consequences" of not having abortion available Monday on MSNBC's "Katy Tur Reports."
"What does it cost to have a baby? On your body, on your livelihood, and not just you, but your states in this country?" asked host Katy Tur while introducing the topic in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.
Kent reported, "Many economists and social scientists are telling us that the economic consequences of abortion restrictions are devastating for both individuals and wider society."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She lamented that motherhood "costs" billions of dollars per year because it "reduces the labor force participation rate," and "drives down earning power."
NY SUPREME COURT STRIKES DOWN LAW ALLOWING NONCITIZENS TO VOTE
WASHINGTON D.C. - JUNE 23: Outside the Supreme Court Thursday morning ahead of possible announcement on Dobbs v. Jackson (Photo by Joshua Comins/Fox News)
She said, "Birthing people who are seeking an abortion and have to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term are four times likelier to live below the federal poverty level, according to the University of California at San Francisco."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"In that amicus brief in the Dobbs case, 150 economists argued that Roe is ‘causally connected to women’s advancement in social and economic life,'" Kent added.
"And you'll remember, Secretary Janet Yellen recently said access to abortion rights directly impacts the educational levels of birthing people as well of their future earnings which all of the data is bearing out here," she continued.
Kent said, "If the birthing parent is able to travel and if they work for the right company and are seeking an abortion – more individuals we're seeing are going to have to rely on their employer, right, for that financial support to carry that out."
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Demonstrators gather in front of the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices hear arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, a case about a Mississippi law that bans most abortions after 15 weeks, on December 01, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Kent cited several companies which have committed to pay employees' abortion travel costs.
"It makes financial sense for them to be providing these benefits to retain their workers," she noted, adding, "It's a very interesting landscape and very urgent when it comes to the actual economic impact."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tur replied that women who had these benefits are "the lucky ones."
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Former President Trump has received praise from Republicans, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., for his role in nominating the justices who ultimately went on to overturn Roe v Wade. Graham said Trump "deserves the lion's share of credit".