Being black and pro-life comes with many stigmas and stereotypes. It confuses many, especially other black women who are largely pro-choice instead. An astounding 68% of African-American voters are pro-choice. This number is shocking for me as a black, pro-life woman.

Here’s why:

THE HISTORY OF ABORTION IN BLACK AMERICA

It is well known that Planned Parenthood was founded on racist principles through Margaret Sanger. In fact, it was so racist and full of eugenic hatred that Planned Parenthood was first called “The Negro Project.” In a letter from Sanger to Dr. Gamble in 1939, Sanger laid out her intentions to “exterminate the negro population.” Her plan was to “employ a full-time Negro physician” to garner more trust from the black population. She stated “the colored Negroes [will be more inclined to] lay their cards on the table which means their ignorance, superstitions, and doubts.” 

So why, then, are a majority of African-Americans pro-choice and voting to keep this culture founded on racism alive?

The answer has numerous factors. Propaganda endorses abortion as a necessary healthcare option and majority of Planned Parenthoods and abortion facilities exist in urban communities that are predominantly black and flooded by poverty. Additionally, newer messaging on “women’s liberation” include the ability to end a life. They encourage women to “shout their abortion” because it’s “joyful.” These actions damage black women and all women who live in areas subjected to this heavy influence.

After a history of forced sterilizations on black women before “The Negro Project” began and government medical experiments on black men like in the Tuskegee Project, it makes zero sense to me as a black woman to support the industry that is erasing us as a minority by decreasing our rate of population growth. The black community calls out the systems founded on racist beliefs in other areas, such as redlining practices and stop-and-frisk laws. So, why is it taboo to see that abortion is another tool founded by racism?

HIP-HOP CULTURE & ABORTION

Aside from the history of abortion aimed toward black America, most African-Americans listen to hip-hop or rap music. Some of the top female influencers in these genres today are artists such as Megan the Stallion, Doja Cat, Latto, and Summer Walker. These artists are all African-American women, so naturally, they heavily influence African-American women listeners. If you listen to some of their top songs, you will find encouragement to live sexually promiscuous lives, sleep with people in relationships, and work in adult industries. After Roe was overturned, Megan the Stallion released a song titled ‘Plan B.’ The song contains lyrics such as “Popping Plan B’s ’cause I ain’t planned to be stuck with ya” and “Ladies, love yourself ’cause this [bleep] could get ugly. That’s why it’s, “[bleep bleep], get money.”

This culture of “sexual freedom” is filled with messages that fuel the abortion industry’s impact on black America. Many believe the false narrative that you can consume inappropriate music without endorsing the messages in the music (or any media). The truth is that you listen to greatly impacts how you act and perceive the world. This music is degrading to who we are as black women and who ALL black women can be. It’s also toxic for the many women who succumb to this messaging, get an abortion, and hurt silently for years.

BECOME VOCALLY PRO-LIFE

I am black and pro-life.

I have no shame in this despite being a minority, although sometimes it does get lonely. There aren’t many of us, and for those who vocalize our dissent against abortion, our platforms are silenced and harder to find. However, it’s essential to stand firm in our beliefs. Abortion is multi-cultural, with unique challenges that plague the black community. 

At just 16, I was coerced into an abortion with lies that I would become “another single, black mom statistic living in the hood on welfare.” This has just further affirmed my pro-life stance. It made the realities of propaganda pushed on black America extremely real and personal. 

This Black History Month, let’s uplift more black mothers in unplanned pregnancies and inspire a culture of life. 

Alysha Sullins, Event Intern with Save the Storks