Colorado taxpayers should pay for abortions because it is cheaper than Medicaid covering the cost of birth, supporters are arguing.

Legislators are currently working on a bill that “requires the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing to cover abortion care services for Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus program participants using state funds, and for public employee insurance plans to cover abortion care services for plan members,” according to a legislative analysis.

It follows a November vote to repeal a ban on taxpayer-funded abortions. Currently, only abortions in the cases of “rape, incest, and life endangerment,” are paid for by the state.

The analysis concluded there will be money saved from what it calls “averted births,” a euphemism for babies being killed through state-funded abortions. “In the first full implementation year (FY 2026-27), costs for abortion services are estimated to be $5.9 million, while cost savings for averted births are estimated to be $6.4 million,” the state reported.

It also suggests there could be other savings down the road, as Medicaid won’t have to provide other benefits for the child who is born.

The liberal Colorado Sun reported positively on the bill’s potential effect of “[saving] the state money.” The Denver Post also reported “proponents” are using the cost savings argument to their favor.

Colorado state Rep. Julie McCluskie, for example, argued in favor of the bill during a recent hearing and discussed the “savings.”

The analysis reduces human life to a mere number on a spreadsheet. Abortion supporters do this as well; nearly all abortions are for reasons unrelated to rape, incest, or medical problems, according to the Charlotte Lozier Institute. Women who regret their abortions attest to the pain of their decision to kill their baby so as not to interfere with career plans.

The argument for abortion because it saves money sounds eerily similar to Jonathan Swift’s satirical essay “A Modest Proposal.” In it, he argues that children in poverty should be sold to wealthy people to be eaten. It also sounds like the argument made by cigarette company Philip Morris that its products are good for taxpayers because they kill people who otherwise would be receiving government benefits.

Colorado should not view children as an economic burden. Rather, it should support families who are having children and promote a culture of life.