The popular new novel, “Margo’s Got Money Troubles” by Rufi Thorpe, contains a surprisingly pro-life message. The main character, Margo, finds herself unexpectedly pregnant after she has an affair with her professor. She decides to give her baby life instead of having an abortion, although she is being pressured to do so by people in her life.
Margo Chooses Life Despite Pressure to Abort
“I called and canceled the abortion the moment I left her house that day. I couldn’t tell you why. It was a bad idea. I did not have good reasons. And it wasn’t because I wanted to be a good person, not really. It wasn’t because I was in love with Mark. I just wanted that baby. I wanted it more than I’d ever wanted anything.”1
In a desperate attempt to make money after losing her job, Margo starts an OnlyFans account where she posts sexual content online. Before starting the account, she was fired from her job because she couldn’t find childcare. Leaving her in a situation where she feels as if online sex work is her only realistic option.
How the Author Balances Pro-Life and Pro-Abortion Messages
Despite the protagonist’s pro-life decision, it seems as if the author attempts to stay on the culturally popular pro-abortion side in several scenes later in the book. A discussion takes place in which Margo says everyone should have the choice to have a baby or not. When asked why she decided to “keep” the baby, Margo says, “I think I was just stupid.” She goes on to say that while she was “morally conflicted,” “there’s nothing like having a baby to make you solidly pro-choice!”2
The “Babies Are Hard” Argument in the Book
This uninteresting pro-abortion argument focuses on the reality that babies are, in fact, hard to take care of. Having had two babies so far, I can attest that this is true. Of course, it is difficult to bring a baby into one’s life, to change everything forever. Being thrust immediately into parenthood teaches selflessness, but it is a hard adjustment. On top of the major hormonal shifts and mental hardship, many women experience. Throughout the book, however, Margo often discusses how much she loves her son. The pro-abortion proponents conveniently leave this out of their rationale for why abortion must exist. Women are lied to by a pro-abortion culture that avoids telling them about the incredible love between a mother and child.
Margo’s Commentary on Childcare and Motherhood Support
Another pro-abortion argument in the book happens when Margo says, “And I didn’t understand how not set up the world is for women to have babies. The whole childcare system is unworkable. Like, it ruins your life. You can’t choose that for someone else. You shouldn’t be able to make someone do that.”3 This pro-abortion message tells women they should choose abortion instead of demanding more help from society. If moms were given support in a culture that celebrates life, they wouldn’t feel as if they must turn to OnlyFans or other degrading means of employment to make ends meet. Margo even admits this. She says that doing OnlyFans wasn’t her “plan A” and implies that she wouldn’t be doing it if she hadn’t had a child.
Why Supporting Moms Changes the Conversation
Support for moms can look like other people celebrating their choices to choose life. It can look like support from communities and churches. It can look like companies providing workplace childcare so mothers can be near their children. Or offering more flexible remote work options. Instead of improving our culture by making it a place where women can succeed as mothers, pro-abortion culture seeks only to give women the choice of abortion. When this is the case, the world is stuck in a systematic loop. Women who choose life are not given the help they need.
