Other well-off western countries have much cheaper and convenient access to hormonal birth control. In the country I live in, Germany, a month’s supply of pills

Other well-off western countries have much cheaper and convenient access to hormonal birth control. In the country I live in, Germany, a month’s supply of pills is about 10 EUR retail, no insurance. On the public insurance the vast majority of women have, they’re 5 EUR/quarter. For women and girls under 20, they’re free. Should you end up pregnant, it’s illegal to fire you for any reason, and you must either be accommodated or put on paid leave. During that first year of Covid, any nurse or doctor or other employee that had to work with the public was put on paid leave if pregnant if something non-public-facing couldn’t be found for them. We also get 2/3 of our previous net salary for up to a year after the birth to stay home with our babies, and that was as a mother with a well-employed husband. There is further assistance for women in harder circumstances. Granted, abortion is (was?) more strictly controlled here. You have to go for “conflict counseling,” but it’s available from both of the major churches (the Lutheran church’s organization aims to help you if you want to go through with the pregnancy, but will give you information on the costs and logistics of termination), other religious associations, as well as secular organizations with a pro-choice point of view (e.g.: ProFamilia). After the 12th week, however, you can only get an abortion if your life or health is in danger, or the fetus has a serious abnormality. Yes, Down Syndrome is an accepted ground for termination, but social support services for mentally-handicapped children and adults are far more comprehensive and reliable here than in the US. Result? One of the lowest abortion rates in the world among countries where women (mostly) have bodily autonomy.