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I'm absolutely disgusted.
I'm so tired of anti-choice organizations, usually lead by old white men and women, talking about the supposed "black genocide" because women in this country are allowed to make decisions about their personal health. Yes, I'm talking about abortion.
In Atlanta, the Georgia Right to Life has erected the following billboard.
Stating that all the abortion clinics in Georgia are located in black urban areas, they try to make the connection that the fertility rates are declining. BTW-according to the CDC, that is false.
Here's what drives me crazy. If this movement actually cared about black children in this country, there would be more action on the following:
1. Teen pregnancy in this country is on the rise among all ethnic groups (up 3% in 2006). Communities of color are still particularly affected as there is a big gap between white teens and black and latino teens. Abortion rates among teens also went up 1%. Yet another example of how we are living in a sexually unhealthy nation. While teen pregnancy rates went down in the nineties, Bush administration abstinence-only education, much of which has been targeted to youth of color, has denied young people important and life saving information about their sexual health.
2. But it can't just be about education. We also must make sure that young people, and especially young women of color have access to condoms and contraception. CVS locks up condoms. Family planning clinics are closing and facing financial strain due to the economy. We must make sure that those who decide to have sex are able to do so in the safest manner possible.
3. Caring about black babies in this country is not just about making sure they are born. In 2007 the Children's Defense Fund issued a congressional report card specifically addressing how well members of Congress protected children. It addressed SCHIP (health insurance for children) as well as increasing the minimum wage (so parents can support their children), Head Start funding (pre school for low income kids), college affordability initiatives, increasing funding for children with disabilities, among others. According to Cristina Page, author of "How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America"
4. And what about addressing incarceration rates? According to the NAACP, from 2002-2004, African Americans made up 16% of the youth population in the US, but 28% of juvenile arrests. They also made up 58% of youth admitted to state adult prisons. And don't get me started when you compare similar charges with incareration time between white and black youth. What is really is life when certain populations continue to be incarcerated more than their white counterparts for the same crime? Where are the programs to rehabilitate youth so they stay out of the system?Based on their votes on these issues, the Children's Defense Fund ranked 143 congressmembers as 'the worst" for children. Of the 143 worst legislators, 100% are pro-life.
5. And on the note of the NAACP, they recently released their own Congressional report card. This time on civil rights. They looked at voting records on many issues including voting rights in DC, SCHIP, the Lily Ledbetter Equal Pay Act, funding for education, health care reform (including the Mikulski amendment), extending unemployment benefits, confirming Sonia Sotomayor, Hilary Clinton and Eric Holder, among many other issues. While I've only had a chance to glance at it, you can probably guess where so-called "pro-life" members of congress rate. But here are a few, just for fun...
Where is the pro-life movement on these issues?Bart Stupak, member of Congress from MI-C
Chris Smith, member of Congress from NJ (also huge ab-only proponent)-D
Orin Hatch, Senator from Utah-F
Mitch McConnell-Senate Minority Leader from KY-F
Psst -- "pro-life" movement...babies turn into children who then turn into adults!
I'm so glad we have fantastic women of color like Loretta Ross from SisterSong in our movement working daily to make sure that the anti-s are not able to distort facts and get away with horrific claims about our communities.
Clearly, "pro-lifers" don't understand our communities (and I'm speaking broadly about communities of color) and the issues we face everyday. In our minds, lives and experiences, life means so much more than the debate around abortion.The advertising campaign has drawn fire from supporters of abortion rights. Loretta Ross, the executive director of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective in Atlanta, said the billboards painted black women as either monsters intent on destroying their own race or victims of whites who control abortion clinics.
“The reason we have so many Planned Parenthoods in the black community is because leaders in the black community in the ’20s and ’30s went to Margaret Sanger and asked for them,” Ms. Ross said. “Controlling our fertility was part of our uplift out of poverty strategy, and it still works.”
There are so many folks out there that just talk and talk and talk without any information, education, or EVIDENCE to back it up, and it is quite frustrating. I think that the ad has oppressive undertones because of where it is positioned in
I must also say, do you think it’s a coincidence that you can see the CBS billboard right behind it?!?! Birds of a feather....
Anna
I once lived in a city that was moderately affluent and was bordered by an extremely poor, mostly African American city. The local Planned Parenthood was based in the poor city.
If anyone else can give me a reason why that seems to be the case in many cities, I would love to hear it.
1. Note what Loretta Ross, a champion of the RJ movement stated at the end of the piece.
2. Not all clinics that perform abortions are Planned Parenthoods.
3. While I'm not familiar with your particular community or Atlanta, here in DC, there are two clinics that I know of that perform abortions and request the assistance of clinic escorters: Planned Parenthood on 16th street...literally blocks from the White House (affluent/mostly business neighborhood) and Washington Surgi Center which is located in Foggy Bottom (affluent, close to GWU campus). Both by far are not located in communities of color.
Also it's important to keep in mind that when you speak of Planned Parenthoods, they don't just perform abortions and many do not perform abortions. They provide women, and mostly low-income women, with family planning options and many times basic healthcare. Communities of color are disproportionatly located in low income communities and disproportionately do not have access to family planning services. Planned Parenthoods provide healthcare to these communities, many of whom are un or underinsured. You say racism. I say responding to a need when there are few other clinics who will step up and provide for the un and underinsured.
I'm guessing your moderately affluent community probably had a population that was more insured and therefore did not need to access services at a Planned Parenthood.
There are Web sites I could direct you to about the topic, because I would like to start a real debate about the issue, so please let me know if you are open to it. I don't want to be perceived as shoving information down anyone's throats.
Got an email alert regarding this billboard & campaign from Planned Parenthood of Georgia. Copied below is the text from the email.
The House Bill raises lots of eyebrows, alarms, and concerns, and should really be examined closely. Like the Policy Director at PPGA, Nikema Williams, says, this is disrespectful and offensive.
Dear Anna,
Anti-choice extremists have hit an all time low. They are implementing a campaign on abortion and women of color that targets the African American community.
The Georgia Right To Life and Radiance Foundation began putting up over 60 billboards inAtlanta
They then introduced House Bill 1155 which falsely asserts that abortion providers throughout the state “solicit” women of color for abortions based on sex and race selection, assertions that are both false and inflammatory.
This bill reflects an agenda not rooted in a sincere concern for the African American community. Real concern would come in the form of support for the services that benefit all women and families inGeorgia
The billboards and legislation are disrespectful and offensive. If sponsors of the legislation really cared about communities of color they should fully fund public education, increase PeachCare eligibility and expand Medicaid by supporting funding for “Planning for Healthy Babies” program.
Too many babies inGeorgia Georgia Georgia
Planned Parenthood believes that every woman, regardless of her race or ethnic background, should have the ability to make personal medical decisions in consultation with her medical professional, family, faith leader or anyone she trusts.
Join us TODAY, Tuesday, February 16, 2010, at noon on the steps of the Capitol to protest the billboards that are going up around Atlanta that say "Black Children Are an Endangered Species," an attempt by Georgia Right to Life to insinuate that Black women are being targeted for abortions. Georgia Women for a Change stands with our members and sisters against this and the companion bill which makes it a felony to assist a woman who is getting an abortion because of her race or the race of the fetus. We stand with Alice Walker, Gloria Steinem, Julian Bond and many other national leaders who endorse this protest.
"2. But it can't just be about education. We also must make sure that young people, and especially young women of color have access to condoms and contraception. CVS locks up condoms. Family planning clinics are closing and facing financial strain due to the economy. We must make sure that those who decide to have sex are able to do so in the safest manner possible."
Here is my opinion-why don't we educate the youth about the positive side of life? Waiting until marriage? Why do people feel they should have "access" to condoms and contraception? Why not just wait and do the "right thing" for once? Care about yourself and wait!
Give me a break when you say that people have no clue!
Also:
"Psst -- "pro-life" movement...babies turn into children who then turn into adults!"
You know what, you have a clue. This is how God inteneded babies to develop! He did not intend to have them to begin to develop from that first moment of conception, then have that child be murdered!! Yes, I said, it "MURDERED!"
A concerned citizen for all children, no matter what the sex, ethnicity or where they live!!!!!!!!!!!!!!