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John Whitehead's Commentary

Latest Survey Reveals Abortion Preys Heavily On the African-American Community

John Whitehead
The Centers for Disease Control recently announced the latest numbers on pregnancy and abortion. They revealed the best news in the 25 years since the government agency has been keeping statistics: both teen pregnancy and abortion rates are at an all-time low.

Behind all the hype about the teen numbers, however, a look at the rest of the study reveals some further truths. For one, it's beyond doubt that the fight against abortion and for strong marriages is one and the same. And it's become all too clear that minorities--particularly the African-American community--are bearing the brunt of the pain from the 30-year drive to legitimize abortion.

The good news is that the teen pregnancy rate was down almost 20 percent from its high in 1991. And in even better news, from 1990-1997 (the last year detailed numbers are available), the abortion rate dropped 32 percent among girls 15-19 years of age. Both of these numbers are now at their lowest level in 25 years.

Researchers pegged the downturn to a number of factors, including an increase in contraceptive use. And parents will be glad to note that they also pointed to a drop-off in teen sexual activity as a likely factor for the record.

In addition to the bright numbers on teen pregnancy, however, the study also illustrated the relationship between family stability and the abortion issue. For instance, among all married women, regardless of race, only 7 percent of pregnancies end in abortion. Among unmarried women, however, 41 percent of pregnancies are terminated. As the report dryly noted, there are "large differences in pregnancy outcomes by marital status."

These numbers make clear that improving the life expectancy of unborn children goes hand in hand with the fight against divorce and an eroding respect for marriage. And, by themselves, the numbers are a strong argument against the growing trend of young couples living together before marriage.

Couples who aren't ready to commit to marriage certainly are not ready for the additional commitment that a child entails. And the unborn child should not suffer for its parents' lack of planning and commitment.

The most disturbing news, however, remains the incredibly high numbers for abortion in minority communities. The CDC study divides its report among white women, black women and Hispanic women. It shows that black and Hispanic women both have much higher rates of abortion.

Abortion especially plagues the black community. Incredibly, in 1997 there was a higher rate of abortion among unmarried black women than live births. In other words, when an unmarried black woman became pregnant, abortion was more likely than birth.

But the most shocking statistic in the entire survey is the rate at which the overall black community is suffering from the predator of easy abortion. We can best appreciate this statistic by way of comparison.

In 1997 in the white community, there were over four times as many live births as abortions. In the Hispanic community, there were over three times as many live births as abortions. But in the black community, there were almost as many abortions as live births: 586,000 live births to 477,000 abortions.

There are many ramifications that flow from these numbers, but there is at least one that presumably even those who are not pro-life can agree on. Many black leaders were very concerned that the latest census revealed their numbers falling behind the Hispanic community, thus diluting their political power. If they are looking for solutions, the abortion numbers are a good place to start.

In 1997, the black community had almost 150,000 more pregnancies than the Hispanic community. But they had almost 125,000 fewer live births than Hispanics because of the incredible difference in the abortion rate among black women. Thus, any politician who champions easy abortion to the black community is, in a sense, complicit in their drop in political power. And black leaders--even those who may not oppose abortion on moral grounds--should realize that abortion is just as responsible as crime, poverty and failing schools for the opportunity hurdles facing blacks in America.

But this is not just an issue for the black community to face alone. As African-American Cornel West once said, "The presence and predicaments of black people are neither additions to nor defections from American life, but rather constitutive elements of that life." In other words, the abortion problem isn't a black issue or a white issue; it's an American issue. And it is incumbent on each one of us to fight for public policies that encourage life-affirming decisions--this means at least providing education programs and financial assistance so that young mothers have the support they need to bring a child to term.
ABOUT JOHN W. WHITEHEAD

Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. His most recent books are the best-selling Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the award-winning A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State, and a debut dystopian fiction novel, The Erik Blair Diaries. Whitehead can be contacted at staff@rutherford.org. Nisha Whitehead is the Executive Director of The Rutherford Institute. Information about The Rutherford Institute is available at www.rutherford.org.

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