Black Holocaust
by Brenda Rucker
In the next two days, more Black people will die in America than
during the 100 years of lynching recorded after 1865.
Quietly claiming almost 1500 Black lives every day, a vicious killer
is working systematically through our families and communities. Most of
us are vaguely aware of its existence, yet it has claimed enough lives
to now be the number one cause of death among Black people. Do you know
what this killer is?
You might think of AIDS. Or, even cancer and heart
disease. Drugs and violence may even come to mind as possibilities. But,
the number one killer of African Americans today is abortion, the silent
killer that we don’t talk about, publicly or in private.
We do know about it though, because the statistics
are almost overwhelming as Black women, in disproportionate numbers, are
selecting this option to resolve their issues with unwanted pregnancies.
Statistics released in November 2005 by the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) reveal over 13 million Black babies have
been killed through the process of abortion since 1973, that is 1/3 of
our present population, and more than double the number killed during
the Jewish holocaust of the 20th century.
Of the estimated 4000 abortions performed in the U.S. daily, Black
women receive nearly 1500 of the total, about 37%.
This number is highly disproportionate when you consider Black women
only comprise about 12% of the population. These figures may come as a
shock to you, but it is a reality in Black America today.
Data collected from Planned Parenthood, the number one abortion
provider in the nation, through its affiliate the Alan Guttmacher
Institute (AGI), provides greater insight to this situation.
From AGI, we learn that most Black women having abortions today are
over 25 years of age (49 percent) and over three-fourths of the women
are unmarried. Almost half of all these pregnancies are unplanned, half
of which are terminated by abortion, and this number continues to grow.
Reasons most often given by women seeking abortion are the desire to
postpone childbearing, lack of financial resources, or relationship
issues with partner.
Other reasons noted include too young, fear of disruption in
education or career, or do not want the child.
In choosing to abort the child, women expose themselves to issues
much greater than the reasons given for the abortion.
Much attention today is being given to the physical and psychological
consequences brought to bear upon the woman who chooses to terminate her
pregnancy by abortion.
In a study conducted in 1994 on post-abortion Black women, responses
to a questionnaire indicated 81percent of the women experienced one or
more psychological complaints, ranging from feelings of guilt, to regret
and often times deep depression.
Other complaints revealed feelings of low self-esteem, anger, despair
and even suicidal tendencies. Only one percent said they would recommend
abortion to others.
Breast Cancer link
Much of the health concern today for women who have had an abortion
centers on the increased risk of developing breast cancer.
Although no one is saying abortion causes breast cancer, the statistics
reflect a trend that cannot be ignored.
Since the legalization of abortion in 1973 (and the subsequent
increase in abortions), the incidence of breast cancer in women has
increased by more than 40 percent, and according to
recent data released by the American Cancer Society, this cancer now
ranks as a leading cause of death in African American women.
Similarly, information obtained from the Johns Hopkins Breast Center
medical research website (February 2003), states that African American
women under age 35 are disproportionately affected by breast cancer.
This echoes the findings in a study from 10 years prior by Howard
University, which also found African American women at increased odds
for the disease if they had a history of induced abortions.
Could there be a connection between the incidence of abortion and the
development of this disease?
Though many will argue the validity of this claim, medical / research
groups such as the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, The
Breast Cancer Prevention Institute, the National Physicians Center for
Family Resources and others substantiate the claim as medically sound
and documented by in-depth research results.
When abortion on demand was legalized in 1973, the general opinion
was that abortion would serve as a harmless and effective means for a
woman to control her rights to reproduction, and women have been
encouraged to use this alternative when faced with the challenges of an
unwanted pregnancy.
New information obtained from the post-abortive studies tell us, to
the contrary, that this is in fact a harmful and extremely costly
alternative when we consider the psychological and physical risks
involved with receiving an induced abortion. As these studies reveal,
abortion is not only a matter of life or death for the unborn child, but
quite possibly also for the mother. And the numbers, as they continue to
multiply ever so quietly, sounds the alarm of a holocaust in Black
America.
And we’re not talking about it?
Sources:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAlynching.htm
http://www.abortionfacts.com/learn/blacks_and_abortion.asp#2
Laing et al, "Breast cancer risk factors in
African-American women: the Howard University tumor registry
experience," Journal of the National Medical Association 85:931, 12/9
http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/CAFF2005BrF.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr//preview/mmwrhtml/ss5407a1.htm
Author Bio
Brenda Rucker, M.A. is a graduate of Park University and Western
Baptist Bible College in Kansas City, Mo. She is a published author and
poet, and is currently working on her first book, "God's Unique Calling
to Women".
