Who's this "we", Kemosabe? Why should "we" be prepared to take responsibility for someone else's actions? Clearly, whoever gets pregnant should be the one to be prepared for the fact that it isn't going to work all the time.
We is American citizens - the people who pay for everything in this country. And yes, the person who gets pregnant [or makes her so] should be prepared for it - but if they're not, who will support the innocent [can't say 'baby' without the qualifier anymore, lol] baby that results?
Or do we [that's you too, Kemosabe] just say "Sorry, little innocent baby - you got the wrong parents if you want to eat."
I think you mean, "Access to free and cheap birth control has been eroded..." That's because people are sick and tired of paying for it.
Penny wise and pound foolish: birth control is far cheaper than raising babies [ooops, forgot to say innocent!] to adulthood.
Free birth control doesn't teach much in the way of responsibility, just the same as feeding a man a fish isn't gonna feed him for a lifetime. It fosters irresponsibility, actually. It[s like throwing money at the poor. History has proven time and time again that when you throw money at the poor, you just get more poor people.
I think birth control does teach responsibility, as it acknowledges that a baby is not a responsible outcome at that point. I don't happen to agree that not wanting a baby should mean not having sex - at least for consenting adults. For minors, that's what it should mean.
Abortion and birth control are really two separate and distinct issues, unless you are advocating using abortion as a form of birth control.
Abortion and birth control are provided by the same clinics, in most cases, and the political atmosphere against the former has a major effect on the availability of the latter.
And I think abortion should be rare, in fact.
All the more reason to take extra precautions to ensure you don't get pregnant.
You know what they say about the best laid plans....
The cheapest method of birth control ever devised is also 100% effective.
And nearly that unrealistic, given the factors involved.
So you are, in fact, advocating a lack of responsibility, or at the very least, absolving it due to human nature, and letting others instead take on the responsibilities that the unwanted pregnancies demand. It's real simple - if you can't afford children, don't have them, or be prepared to bear the consequences of responsibility if you do.