Black Heritage Month: Week 2--Black Genocide

I recently read an article in Religion Dispatches by Sikivu Hutchinson titled "God’s Body, God’s Plan: The Komen Furor and Abortion as Black/Latino 'Genocide'". An interesting, and well-written read, though I thorougly disagree with everything she posits.

Ms. Hutchinson holds to the argument that a woman's "right" to do with her body what she wishes should be wholesale protected by the government. It's part of "reproductive justice" and that blanket term: "family planning". She holds the belief that the ills suffered by women and children of color are because these services are not readily available and protected, and that the pro-life lobby and its work to eradicate abortion is part of the work to maintain a racist power structure. Huh?

Specifically in her cross-hairs is a group called The International Coalition of Color for Life, founded by Eve Sanchez Silver. Ms. Hutchinson first minimizes Ms. Sanchez Silver, a Latina, with the throwaway description of her background: "a former medical research analyst for and charter member of the Komen Foundation, has been a leading advocate against Planned Parenthood within Komen."

In fact, Ms. Sanchez Silver is more than that--she has a very impressive background in science and research. You can read her bio and find out for yourself. She also resigned from Komen after they chose to develop a relationship with Planned Parenthood;  so the "within Komen" statement is misleading, if not false.

In typical liberal fashion, Ms. Hutchinson cherry picks and uses the most stark images and statements from the website to build a straw man argument against the notion that abortion is being used as a form of Black Genocide. She sees abortion as a necessary service to help protect women of color, and prevent the high rate of out-of-wedlock births, foster children and incarcerated youth of color. Since Roe v. Wade's institution in 1973, the United States has legally protected a woman's right to obtain an abortion. Yet, none of those rates she mentions have been reduced--in fact, some of them have increased. You would think close to 40 years of abortion rights would have proven her argument, but apparently not.

Ms. Hutchinson also argues that to use Planned Parenthood's founder Margaret Sanger's work and writings as a basis  "to vilify abortion, anti-abortion foes of color are actually savaging women’s right to agency." Ms. Hutchinson even parades out the black leaders who were Sanger's contemporaries, who backed her work: Dr. Martin Luther King, Mary McCleod Bethune, Ida B. Wells, and so on. This feels equivalent to certain Blacks paraded out by news organizations and political parties to prove their cause is just; however, it gives no basis of proof toward the validity of the cause just because certain people of color support it. But, I digress.

As a pro-life Black woman, I have watched this debate on both side for years. As a writer, I've seen the massaging of terms and wording on both sides to try to reshape the argument in their favor. Those opposed to abortion have re-crafted the language from "anti-abortion" to "pro-life", from "crisis pregnancy centers" to "women's centers" in order to re-frame their point-of-view. On the converse, terms like "family planning", "reproductive rights", and "birth control" are being used in the same way, to camouflage the fact that the act of abortion is central to their focus.

And now the latest term of "women's health care" is being used to support the so-called pro-choice advocacy for wholesale government-funding of abortions and abortifacients.  A position strongly supported by our first Black President, who claims to "respect" religious liberties, even when he continues to trample upon them. Catholic Bishops aren't buying it, and from their Wall Street Journal editorial, neither are David B. Rivkin, Jr. and Edward Whelan:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf0XIRZSTt8]

President Obama claims to respect Religious Liberties--offers token compromise

WSJ: Birth Control Mandate--Unconstitutional and Illegal.

I took enough women's studies classes where Ms. Sanger's goals and writings were presented in a glowing light, to have made up my own mind about her: she was a racist with genocidal intentions wrapped in a pretty package of benevolence.

Margaret Sanger was a eugenicist, and believed (as much as Adolph Hitler) in an elite race, and the elimination of any inferior races that would poison the well. Hitler had the Jews, homosexuals, and the infirm on his hit list; Sanger had the "feeble-minded", poor immigrants, and minorities on hers. Her argument for "birth control" was to work toward the limitation of those inferior elements, so that superior races could thrive. Books like The Pivot of Civilization, and Women and the New Race trumpet these beliefs with brazen authority. Taken on their face, they present logical arguments that are totally antithesis to life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness for anyone except those she deemed "fit".

With 17-million (and counting) black babies aborted through the work of Planned Parenthood, the organization Ms. Sanger founded seems well on its way to accomplishing her vision. While the Rev. Al Sharpton, Michael Eric Dyson, and other supposed black leaders are obsessed with calling anyone who opposes President Obama and his policies a racist, and slapping labels of "Uncle Tom" and "House Nigga" on Black conservatives like Shelby Steele and Congressman Allen West, you hear crickets from these same leaders about Planned Parenthood's targeting of minority communities under the guise of "family planning" and "women's health".

Just as W.E.B. Dubois and Dr. Martin Luther King, were seduced by Margaret Sanger's benevolent claims to understand and assist in the "Negro problem", we have our modern-day equivalents advocating and shilling for "women's reproductive rights" for a number of reasons. Some have drunk the Kool-Aid, others want the media recognition, but many others either want the financial gain (read: campaign contributions) or the votes. So, not much has changed.

Like Sikivu Hutchinson, Cynthia Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution argues that the term "Black Genocide" is nonsense. Also like Ms. Hutchinson, Ms. Tucker uses ONE pro-life advocate (Johnny Hunter of Life Education and Resource Network-LEARN) as her whipping boy, pointing out how radical he is because he considers abortion a means to wipe out the black race. So extreme!

She builds her own straw man argument with these ridiculous statements:

"Oddly, the most vociferous critics of Planned Parenthood are also the least likely to support plans and proposals that might actually lower the abortion rate — among black women as well as among white and brown women."

Abstinence education, and women's centers that cater to ladies with unplanned pregnancies and offer alternatives that don't involve termination are funded and supported by these critics she talks about. But I guess Ms. Tucker doesn't consider those viable plans and proposals to getting the abortion rate down.

And then, Ms. Tucker trumpets her biggest fallacy: " If birth control pills and devices were cheaper and more widely available, more women would use them. Unplanned pregnancies would drop. The abortion rate would decline."

My young-adult niece would go to parties in Hollywood where they passed out free contraceptive samples and free condoms. When I had no insurance, this Black woman found discounts on my birth control pills. Heck, they pass out free condoms  in schools--so WHAT is Ms. Tucker talking about?

The Guttmacher Institute presented a revelatory report on Abortions in the United States. Just a snippet of their findings:

"Fifty-four percent of women who have abortions had used a contraceptive method (usually the condom or the pill) during the month they became pregnant. Among those women, 76% of pill users and 49% of condom users report having used their method inconsistently, while 13% of pill users and 14% of condom users report correct use." (emphases mine.)

So more than half of abortions sought were by women who used contraception either incorrectly or inconsistently. Ms. Tucker's treatise has hit bottom, yet she continues to dig.

I am thankful that there is still a percentage of my people who refuse to fall for the twin ruses of "women's health" and "women's reproductive rights". Organizations like The International Coalition of Color for Life, LEARN, Life Dynamics, The National Black Pro-Life Union, National Black Pro-Life Coalition, and hundreds of others, are taking a stand to battle the continued encroachment of deception and lies.

Saysumthn's WordPress blog did an awesome video presentation in 2010 highlighting religious and civic leaders, and every day people, who are choosing to stand up for the lives of Black babies. Though a few years old, it is even more relevant in 2012: Black Genocide: African-American Leaders Speak Out.

Dr. Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, and Director of African-American Outreach for Priests for Life made a statement opposing the abortion mandate housed in Obamacare. Dr. Alveda King said:

"What really is racist is singling out minorities, who now receive about two-thirds of the abortions in this country, for discriminatory treatment[...]"  "Those of us who care about the civil rights of all Americans, born and unborn, oppose Obamacare because we oppose the expansion of the most racist industry in America - the abortion industry."

Black people, where will you stand?