Are African American women in particular being targeted by abortion providers? In Atlanta, a controversy is brewing after abortion opponents cited the fact that black women have 40% of the nation's abortions as proof that abortion providers have waged genocide against unborn black children, considering that blacks make up just 13% of the nation. In February, the storm kicked off when Georgia Right to Life posted 80 billboards around Atlanta declaring, "Black children are an endangered species," along with a Web site called www.toomanyaborted.com.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America has been caught in the crossfire between abortion foes who seek to win over blacks and their pro-choice counterparts. The New York Times reports that white conservatives taped Planned Parenthood employees welcoming donations specifically for aborting black children. In one tape, a caller tells a Planned Parenthood employee, "You know, we just think, the less black kids out there, the better." The employee's response? "Understandable, understandable."
According to the Times, Planned Parenthood apologized for the employee's statements and says they do not reflect the organization's values or policies. But that didn't stop black leaders from seeking to have financing withdrawn from Planned Parenthood, which receives $350 million in government funds annually for education and medical services, the Times reports. Abortion opponents argue groups such as Planned Parenthood contribute to the high number of black women who terminate pregnancies because they're strategically located in black neighborhoods and occasionally offer abortions for free, such as during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, according to the Times. Making matters worse is that Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger had ties to the eugenics movement, which sought to advance those in the human race seen as most desirable and filter out the so-called undesirables, such as the poor, mentally ill, and some would argue, ethnic minorities.
"Scholars acknowledge that Sanger did ally herself with eugenics, at the time a mainstream movement, but said she believed that birth control, sterilization and abortion should be voluntary and not based on race," the Times reports. "She was also allied with black leaders like W.E.B. Du Bois and Dr. King, who praised her efforts to bring birth control to black families."
So, is there indeed a link between abortion and racism? While there have been cases of government-sanctioned forced sterilization of women of color, such as Native American women and Puerto Rican women, I highly doubt that there's an organized campaign to commit genocide against the black race by enticing black women to have abortions. What the abortion opponents who spoke to the Times left out is that a significant number of women who have abortions are already mothers. The Guttmacher Institute reports that 61% of women having abortions have at least one child already. Moreover, 57% of women who have abortions are economically disadvantaged, with unintended pregnancies increasing by 29% among poor women and decreasing 20% among higher-income women.
The Institute reports, "Guttmacher research shows that many women of color, who are also disproportionately low-income, are unable to afford prescription birth control methods, such as the IUD, that are highly effective over extended time periods but have high up-front costs. Unstable life situations, in which consistent use of contraceptives is a lower priority than simply getting by, can also be a factor."
Hence, if abortion opponents such as Georgia Right to Life are truly invested in reducing the amount of black women who terminate pregnancies, they should consider investing their funds in supporting social service programs that reach out to low-income women and children, not to mention raise awareness about the endless stream of black kids in foster care waiting for loving families to adopt them. Instead, they're choosing to invest their funds to spread conspiracy theories and cries of genocide. Do they really think that this is going to keep black women who lack the income to support additional children from having abortions? I certainly don't.
As Susan A. Cohen of the Guttmacher Institute put it, "Fundamentally, the question policymakers should be asking is not why women of color have high abortion rates, but rather what can be done to help them have fewer unintended pregnancies and achieve better health outcomes more generally."
Comments
Have you actually read the writings of Margaret Sanger? Do you know how many of Planned Parenthood founders were members of the American Eugenics Society? Did you know that not that long ago, a former Planned Parenthood President admitted that Planned Parenthood takes donations from people who want to limit the black race? Perhaps you should ask a question you are not knowledgeable to answer. If you and your readers want to see the documentation which PROVES that abortion targets African Americans, I dare you to watch the over 2 hours of the film: Maafa21 Black Genocide in 21st Century America. The producers of this film went right to the source- they researched the papers of Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood , and their eugenics followers, supporters, and board members. Have you done this? I urge you and your readers , that if they want to hear the audio, see the documents, and watch the video which undeniably proves this link, get Maafa21 . You can see a short clip of this incredibly documented film here: http://www.maafa21.com
Planned parenthood did not invent the problem of out of wedlock births, sexual violence, and poverty in the black community. They responded to those issues by trying to provide help. They defined help as contraception, or abortion in cases when contraception was needed but never used. Planned Parenthood is attempting to engineer genocide in the black community, it would be laughable if it were not so patently false. Yet many seem to actually believe it! Planned parenthood supports marriage in the black community. Planned parenthood supports sex education in the black community and the understanding and use of contraception so that single mothers will not have to raise mutliple children in poverty. Planned parenthood supports liberating black women from sexual brutality, the sexual abuse of young teen females by older males.
Time to defend logic and reason here and stop a moral panic from growing. If you do not want an abortion then do not have one. If you do not want to get pregnant then either abstain from sex or be sure to use reliable contraception. Obviosly rape would be out of a woman’s control but for all other situations, the decision to engage in sexual activity along with the consequences is up to the individual. Let’s try to stop using the race card to incite a circus and use some logic to tackle the problems we face.
Where have4 I heard that before, Oh Yes….from Planned Parenthood Founder, Margaret Sanger, ” We do not want word to get out that we want to exterminate the Negro population.” Sanger wrote that to Clarence Gamble who also funded efforts of the North Carolina Eugenics Society. An African American woman named, Elaine Riddick, was sterilized against her will by the NC Eugenics Society- but then- to her – the race issue was very much a part of this topic. To listen to Riddick’s riveting story get a copy of Maafa21 (http://www.maafa21.com) and S-h-h-h don’t let the word get out that they want to “exterminate” the African American – keep on covering the truth (NOT ! )
No. Planned Parenthood’s only mission is to ensure that women–ALL women–have access to contraception and other health care services so that they may effectively plan their families–and that’s their right.
Interesting how the only person actually defending this nonsense is anonymous. I’m a black woman who firmly believes that ALL children have a right to be born to women who are able to take care of them psychologically and physically. Personally, I’d rather see more women choose to terminate than bring another sad, neglected child into this world. Where are all of these concerned citizens when these children need to be adopted b/c their mothers couldn’t take care of them? Anonymous have you signed up to be a foster parent? I have a feeling that your concern for black children stops at birth.
Your “Feelings” are what you base truth on. Your “Feelings” are just that “YOUR” and you have no idea who I am, my skin color, or how many kids I have and what their color is. I base this debate on FACTS ! I am appalled that you would rather “TERMINATE” a “BLACK BABY” no matter what the reasons are – that statement is shocking and truly sad ! And that is my “Feeling” on the matter !
Wow. The only person here who can’t seem to control her feelings is the only one who doesn’t have a name and who doesn’t answer relevant questions. Anonymous, if I’m wrong about your concern for black children post-birth please enlighten me. Also, let’s forget about race here. Where are you when ANY child is born to a mother who can’t take of him/her? Finally, I could care less how appalled you are by my statement. I stand by it. I’d like to say I’m shocked that people like you would sink so low as to use our country’s sad, racist history to scare a desperate woman into not doing what she feels is right for her and her family, but I’m not. You people are a big part of what’s rotten in our society. Poking your noses into other people’s business and ruining lives. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Planned Parenthood provides vital healthcare information to low-income people who in this country happen to be minorities. What is the fundamenalist right wing doing to improve the income of minorities? Nothing. These conservatives as such hypocrites. On one hand they want less government but their actions give it the lie. They want a particularly intrusive form of government control regarding abortions probably to match the wire tapping and secret dossiers they gather. Further, It is a well-researched fact (Guttmacher Instititute) that countries with access to safe, legal abortions have a lower rate of abortion. Making abortions illegal will not stop them from happening but will increase the chances that healthy young black woman will die due to dirty back alley, coat-hanger abortions. There’s a way to keep the population under control – decrease the population of healthy, young black women. Keep abortion safe and legal.
anonymous
So what do you do with all of these unwanted undesired babies, regardless of how they are concieved? Also since you wish to close down Plan Parenthood who will provide low income women with affordable medical care? Since there is nothing else out there. You will excuse me if I say you talk but that is NO use to most people it is action that is needed. And I dont mean the action of producing lies. If you go back 300- 200 years you can dig up all kinds of thing. For example President Lincoln. Like a great many felt the black man could not become a true member of society. He felt slavery was wrong he didnt not see black as his equal or equal to any white man. You can find a dark side to anyone.
What have your group done for the black community? Besides shout fire? Plan Parenthood provides low income women (regardless of color) low cost medical care. Does your group do this? Or just stand on a nice little soap box?
have any of u actually watched what they do to babys to abort them? really watch it sometime its sad do they deserve that? and btw stop feeling sorry for urself ur black so what own that dont try to get people to feel sorry for u
If most of the women who supposedly have abortions are black (and usually poor)…how do they afford the abortions? I’ve lived in projects until I was 17, and never once heard of a black women getting an abortion (and believe me, women there were getting knocked up by irresponsible thugs left and right). Are we sure that black women get more abortions, or is this another one of those false/reversed figures, like how more blacks are supposedly killed by cancer as opposed to caucasians, when in reality, the opposite is true? It seems a lot of figures out there proclaim caucasians as being least likely to suffer from some fatal condition/proclivity when all you have to do is look around and see that the opposite seems to be the case.