I'm constantly frustrated by the heated discussions I hear about abortion and African-American women. My friends and family members are never short on strong opinions -- nor, it seems, is anyone else. In my work at Planned Parenthood, I rarely survive a week without getting pulled into a debate about the high rates of abortion among black women and what it reveals about the state of black America. Most of the noise comes from the religious right and small enclaves of the far left, where zealots portray us as unwitting dupes of a racist "abortion industry" that wants to keep us childless -- or perpetrators of a "black genocide" attempting to obliterate our race. Thankfully, most African Americans know that is nonsense, and most support a woman's right to control her own body. According to a recent survey by the Public Religion Research Institute, some 64 percent of us believe "abortion should be legal in all or most cases."
I share that view and applaud it. What frustrates me is the tendency to argue about abortion as if it were a self-contained phenomenon, when it so clearly signals deeper, broader issues. African Americans make up just 13 percent of the U.S. population, yet we account for 30 percent of the nation's abortions. Whites are nearly 75 percent of the population but account for only 36 percent of abortions. Why the huge disparity? Is someone pushing us into abortion against our will? Of course not. Our high abortion rate reflects our high rate of unintended pregnancy -- which in turn reflects poverty and a lack of accessible, affordable health care.
Nearly half of all U.S. pregnancies are unintended -- a far higher proportion than you would find in most other developed countries -- and the risk isn't distributed equally. African-American women experience unintended pregnancy at more than twice the rate of white women, often because they lack affordable birth control. Over the years, I've heard many friends describe having to choose between their birth control pills and paying their bills, and they're hardly alone. A recent Hart survey showed that 54 percent of African-American women between the ages of 18 and 34 had experienced difficulty using contraceptives consistently because they were too expensive. For a woman who can't afford to fill a prescription or pay a co-payment for an IUD or other contraception, unplanned parenthood is a reflection of deeper economic woes.
That may be one reason that African Americans support abortion rights. Many of us lack the resources to prevent unplanned, untenable pregnancies. We're less likely than other Americans to have jobs, and less likely to have health insurance. In 2009, 23 percent of African Americans were uninsured -- compared to 14 percent of whites -- and 26 percent of African-American women were uninsured. Unintended pregnancy is just one of many health consequences of these economic disadvantages. We experience higher rates of cervical cancer, sexually transmitted infections, diabetes, obesity and heart disease, too. We also have a higher death rate from breast cancer, and we're more than twice as likely to die from diabetes.
How can we address these disparities? Anti-choice groups are plastering our communities with billboards that offer a ludicrous proposal. By their logic, abortion providers are robbing us of our children, so we must fight back by giving up our right to choose. Huh? It's not only illogical but offensive. The message isn't exactly catching fire -- in fact, public support for abortion rights is rising nationwide. But abortion is a stopgap, not a solution, to the real problems facing African-American women. While standing firm for abortion rights, we must also find ways to reduce poverty and expand access to prevention services. We can start by voting for legislators who support women's health, and opposing those who don't. We can also be more proactive about our own health and take advantage of the rights and opportunities we have. Next year, thanks to a new federal rule, new health insurance plans will have to cover birth control in full -- without any out-of-pocket fees or co-pays. No matter how you feel about abortion, that's cause for celebration. For African-American women, it's also cause for action. As birth control becomes more accessible, those of us who aren't ready to be parents should seize the chance to use it.
Veronica Byrd is the director of African-American media for Planned Parenthood Federation of America
2. Just because you have three children and felt that it has a positive impact on your life doesn't mean that having 3 children is what the rest of the world wants for their life. I have no children, I've always used contraception and my husband and I are happy with that situation. One size never fits all.
Me, I'm pro-choice because I don't want the government risking making it hard for someone who really really really needs an abortion to get one. Like someone with an ectopic pregnancy.
But I'm pro-life in real life and in almost every instance. I don't understand how someone who has studied fetal development could possibly justify doing violence to a fetus past the time it can feel pain.
I agree that any argument will have a pausible counter-argument that could have some degree of validity. But as my initial argument points out, Abortion should be available as a medical procedure and when a woman has an ectopic pregnacy this is not an elective abortion this is a medical emergency and if no surgery is done the fetus and the mother will die, the choice for a physician is clear, the mother options are to be decided by her. Pro-choice should start when the first choice arises, deciding to have or not unprotected sex. Elective abortion as a way of contraception is divisive, traumatic and could have serious health consequences, without even going in the moral and religious debate. At the end, the only way for society to improve and be better is to have individual responsibility about their choices, the easy way out is only that: "The easy way out" not the best solution. I can not believe that any person will be against information being provided to school boys and girls about their sexual behavior and about taking the right choices if done with the family consent .
If they were really interested in minimizing abortions they would support free BC for anyone who wants it and stop the abstinence only education that has driven the teen birth rate back up from it's downward trend.
Abstinence only educational failure:
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-Teen-Sex-Ed.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/05/AR2007120501208.html
http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/EA2007/EA2007_full.pdf
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/06/pro-life-states-have-lower-abortion.html
Ireland has the lowest abortion rate and they have abortion banned.
Oh ya, your link sucks it immediately redirects you to some site about WI governor Walker possible recall results.
But anyway, I bet most of them are red states, you know, those with the highest teen age pregnancy rates?
As for Ireland, and I am only guessing here, I bet birth control is readily available for anyone that wants it.
Why no link to the data? This is out of line with Gallup findings...
Gallup: 61 Percent Say All or Most Abortions Should Be Illegal
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/gallup-61-percent-say-all-or-most-aborti
It was a survey on Millennials specifically not the general population:
http://www.publicreligion.org/objects/uploads/64/Millennials_Abortion_Religion_Survey_Release.pdf
Gallup is an independent source that is seen as pretty objective by both sides of the political aisle. They show rising you identification with "pro-life"
http://www.jillstanek.com/breaking-new-gallup-poll-the-n.html
Also as you say, the survey was just young people, seems like Veronica Byrd is failing to disclose a key part of the survey.
Sad so sad.
1. GLBT
2. Male headed family
3. Female headed family
4. Two- Parent family
5. Guardians and Relatives
Why should we try to mimic White American culture's family structures when they can't even keep theirs together considering that 50% of white marriages end in D-I-V-O-R-C-E !!.African- Americans should have all options and if a couple or a person feels they can't afford to care for a fetus/child then it is up to them whether they can get it or not.
As an honest question, how do you feel about biracial marriages? You talk about White and Black culture, but it's not like they are entirely separate. My niece and nephew are biracial, so I'm wondering if, given the charged language, you feel a cultural 'truce' is possible, or what the otherwise best course of action in such a situation is.
Cheers, Daniel.
So now you're basically telling your would-be sex partner that you don't trust them, and they have to go and get an STI test and show you the results before you allow them to have sex with you.
Do you know how effective and likely this entire scenario is? Let me tell you: It's completely unrealistic. If 1% of sexual encounters start like this, I would be stunned. This scenerio which you're espousing kills sex, it kills passion, it kills trust, it kills relationships.
Know what works better and a lot more often than "Have you been tested? OK I don't believe you, show me the results. They're from last January? Go get tested again. Then show me the results. Then commit to me. Then let's talk sex, not before." Abstinence education. And abstinence education sucks.
Far more girls will end up in college than males, it's sad to losing opportunities but in the future they are also more likely to go back to school than their male counterparts.
This statement is untrue. Many African Americans are middle class in good jobs with health insurance and live in communities with access to contraceptives. This is just more stereotyping to justify a position.