Let Them Live: Financial Reasons Women Choose Abortion with Emily Berning

Seventy-three percent of women who seek abortions cite financial hardship as a primary factor. If that statistic is accurate — and the research supports it — then a significant portion of abortions are not exercises of free choice but of no other perceived choice. This episode examines what it looks like to take that seriously: what Let Them Live does, how it works, and why addressing the financial roots of abortion decisions is not a concession to the pro-choice position but a more honest engagement with the problem. Main Points of Discussion (00:00) Introduction (01:25) About Emily Berning (07:07) The mission of Let Them Live: direct financial support for women in crisis pregnancies (09:07) The real cost of motherhood (11:17) Do women want to choose abortion? How financial pressure drives the decision (13:34) How the overturn of Roe v. Wade shifted the pro-life focus from legislation to support (17:15) How political incentives get in the way of actually helping women (20:43) The stigma of single motherhood and its role in abortion decisions (21:54) Why Let Them Live operates without a proselytizing mandate — and why that expands their reach (24:22) Why Let Them Live is something both pro-life and pro-choice advocates can support (26:52) How Let Them Live differs from other pro-life organizations (30:08) The operational model: hotline, social media outreach, and direct bill payment (33:33) Responding to requests for help on social media (34:55) Monthly financial goals and donor accountability (38:37) Closing remarks Support the Research: https://mereliberty.com/membership/