Making the Right Choice

As many of you know, I’m a pretty liberal guy when it comes to politics. I strongly support gay marriage and gay adoption. I am not a gun owner, and am generally for tougher laws on guns. I think we should legalize not only marijuana, but almost all drugs, and use some of the money that taxing and regulating would generate to fund treatment and recovery programs. I’m also very much Pro Choice, which is a topic that I wanted to touch on in today’s blog.

I was getting the oil changed in my car the other day, and the kind people at Oil Can Henry’s always provide you with a free newspaper. So, as I flip open to page 2, there’s a story there with the headline “Abortion foes make racial case to gain black support”. I was intrigued, so I read the story. Wow. It seems that a group in Atlanta, Georgia Right To Life, had hired a black woman to be its new “minority outreach coordinator”. This woman started traveling around the state, talking about how abortion is the latest tool being used by whites to kill off blacks, and keep their numbers in check. Seriously.

I have so many problems with this story, that I truly don’t even know where to start. I suppose I should just dive right in, so if this seems a little jumbled, I do apologize.

First of all, I don’t know of anyone who is Pro Choice that would label themselves as Pro Abortion. It isn’t something that we go around celebrating when it happens. I’ve been there, I’ve had to make that choice, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Anyone who tells you differently is lying to you. So the idea that white society is somehow marketing abortions to black society, all in an effort to keep the population in check is ludicrous. I don’t really want this blog to become a rant specifically about whether or not Pro Choice is how things should be. If you don’t support it, I truly do understand your position. I am very glad that the Supreme Court doesn’t share your viewpoint, but I won’t tell you that you’re wrong. You should believe what you want to believe in, and make your own choices accordingly.

To suggest, however, that blacks are being targeted because of their race is just terrible. The article, and the basis of GRL’s claims, is that black women have a higher percentage of abortions relative to the number of pregnancies than white or Hispanic women do. This isn’t a racial thing, it’s a cultural thing. First of all, let’s discount the Hispanic numbers right off the bat. As a general rule, Hispanics are both more religious and, specifically more Catholic than the average in this country. As such, abortion is viewed as a sin to a large portion of that culture. Of course the numbers will be smaller.

So, lets make it strictly, for the sake of this blog, a Black vs. White argument. Why in the world would black women have more abortions than white women? Hmm. Yup, the first thing I jump to is race. Trying to kill off the blacks, that’s what it MUST be about. Couldn’t possibly be because of the fact that white women are generally more affluent than black women. That they have better education on average couldn’t possibly play a role. And certainly, there’s no way that actually having better access to birth control could have any factor in the numbers at all. Nope, it’s all a plot by The Man to kill off as many black babies as possible. Gotta be. No argument with that logic.

For those of you who aren’t adept at reading sarcasm on the written page, allow me to translate into normal speak.

Black women are on average less educated, less able to take care of a baby financially, have less access to birth control due to less adequate health care coverage, and together, those factors make a HUGE difference in the number of unwanted pregnancies. Furthermore, there aren’t as many people willing to adopt a black child as there are wanting to adopt a white one. So the black woman, who doesn’t have as much health care coverage on average, also doesn’t have as many options to have someone cover her medical costs in exchange for having the baby and giving it up for adoption to that person or couple.

It disgusts me that this group is trying to turn this into a racial thing, when clearly it isn’t. Furthermore, their interest is done as soon as that child is born. Is Georgia Right To Life also supporting increased social programs to help out that black woman once she actually has the baby that they are trying to save? Do they support inner-city education programs? Drug rehabilitation and education programs for minorities? Programs to help single black mothers increase their lot in life in any way shape or form? Welfare? Head Start? Anything? Are they doing outreach to encourage more white couples to adopt black children? No, of course not. Once you have the baby, you’re on your own, sister.

Listen, if you are against Pro Choice, against Roe v. Wade, against the Supreme Court, and you truly believe that all abortions are a sin, that is your right. But don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining either. This isn’t a racial thing, and abortion is not a plan by Whitey to stamp out the number of black babies. If you truly want to help limit the number of abortions, then support increased funding for education, and social equality programs in poorer neighborhoods. Support Universal Health Care so that everyone who needs it can have easy access to birth control. Support Planned Parenthood, who is NOT a Pro-Abortion entity. “Planned” … “Parenthood”. Their goal isn’t to increase the number of abortions. It is to allow people access to the information that they need to make the right decisions when it comes to their reproductive health. They supply birth control, they supply condoms, they educate. Education is a good thing, folks.

I would love it, and I think every Pro Choice person out there would love it if there wasn’t another abortion ever on this planet. Not because it was illegal, but because they weren’t necessary. That everyone on the planet had the ability to have access to the things they needed to eliminate unwanted pregnancies. That everyone who got pregnant was in a financial position to love and support that child in a caring and loving family environment. That there was no rape, no sexual assault, no molestation, nothing that would ever lead anyone to be in a position that they needed to make that choice. That would be great. But until that fantasyland appears, I’m glad we have the choices that we do.