Rep. Walter Blackman just proclaimed 6/7 “Equal Opportunity for Life on Behalf of Unborn Black Babies Day”—accusing healthcare providers and supporters of reproductive freedom of racism due to high rates of abortion in the Black community. Is there any truth to this claim? We asked Chris Love, Chair of Planned Parenthood Advocates Arizona (top, right), who dissected these false claims at length. Her summation: “What’s the group that has the lowest birth outcomes? That’s Black women. What is the group that has the largest gap when we talk about pay? That’s Black women. When we talk about poverty statistics and what group is destined and doomed to poverty because of all of the other systems and foundational racism we have in this country, that’s Black women. So if black folks are choosing to have abortions, it’s because our environment is inhospitable to having babies and raising them.” | |
