Racial profiling by abortion clinics.

From http://seasonedwithsaltsyndicate.blogspot.com/2006/02/michigan-abortion-industry-embraces.html



Tuesday, February 21, 2006

"Michigan Abortion Industry Embraces Racial Profiling"

When a black motorist is stopped without cause, simply because of the color of his or her skin, people from all walks of life are understandably incensed.Yet, when abortionists disproportionately set up shop in predominately African-American neighborhoods across Michigan, preying on vulnerable black women caught in an unwanted pregnancy, not so much as a whimper of outrage is heard. Not even in the black community does anyone seem to take notice or, if they do, work to expose this dirty little secret.In Michigan, the effort to shrink abortion continues to be as effective as ever. In 2004, abortions were only 62 short of the all-time low at 26,269 -- an astonishing 46.4 percent decline from 1987's all-time high. Even more impressive, abortions performed on minors during this same period have decreased nearly 60 percent.But this success is sadly tarnished by an indefensible inability to penetrate the city limits of our majority-black cities with the culture of life.Culture of life stymiedOf the 36 abortion clinics in Michigan, doesn't it seem unusual that nearly one-third are located in our three largest black-majority cities? While Detroit, Flint and Southfield make up less than 12 percent of the state's population, they are home to more than 62 percent of our African-American citizens.Beyond this, more than 80 percent of all abortion clinics are located in the 10 counties that boast the highest number of African-American residents. While these same 10 counties represent about 57 percent of the state's total population, they represent more than 92 percent of the African-American population.

On a city-by-city review, more than 75 percent of African-Americans live within the 10 municipalities that are home to nearly half of the state's abortion clinics -- while blacks make up 14.2 percent of the state's population.If this isn't racial profiling, then what is?No wonder African-Americans, while representing about 12 percent of the nation's population, account for 30 percent of all abortions. In fact, according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute -- the research arm of Planned Parenthood -- black women are more than three times as likely to have an abortion than are white women. This is in spite of the fact that African Americans claim to be more pro-life than the population at large.

In a recent Zogby Poll on abortion, 56 percent of all Americans believe abortion should never be legal, be legal only when the life of the mother is in danger or be legal in cases of rape and incest. The irony is that when African Americans were asked these same questions, nearly two-thirds or 62 percent answered in kind, identifying themselves as more pro-life than all Americans.Who bears the blame?The African-American community is ultimately responsible for embracing the culture of life, and the unusually high placement of abortion clinics in African-American neighborhoods does not unilaterally make black women victims without free will.

If abortion rates among black women only matched those of the next highest race in each age group, abortions in Michigan would have dropped 5,927 in 2004 -- or nearly 23.2 percent of the statewide total.On the other hand, it should be ominous that a handful of abortionists seem so anxious and willing to exploit African-American neighborhoods with such a disproportionate number of clinics.When African Americans are concerned, the abortion industry obviously puts aside it's "safe and rare" mantra and instead replaces it with one that appears to embrace "numerous and near."Published in The Detroit News on February 21, 2006 as "Stop racial profiling of abortion clinics."