- Feb 5, 2002
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Baptist minister Walter B. Hoye, speaker and educator Ryan Bomberger, and pro-life activist Bevelyn Beatty speak frankly about abortion, race, and the gospel message.
As this past summer of protests and racial unrest was heating up, I began hearing increasing criticism directed at the American pro-life movement. An extreme, but telling example came from Rolling Stone Magazine’s Jamil Smith July 15: The moniker “pro-life,” so often used in the service of not just misogyny but also racism, should be retired right along with Aunt Jemima and the “Redskins” team name.
Other concerns focused on pro-lifers’ use of the phrase “All Lives Matter” or the movement’s prioritizing abortion over racism and other issues. Critics highlighted the “politicization” of abortion. Others faulted the movement for supposedly ignoring the root causes of abortion; still others declared those root causes to be off limits for discussion.
The array of concerns—ranging from vitriolic to well-intentioned to seemingly contradictory—puzzled me. To get a better perspective, I sought out three individuals who could speak to the issue from personal experience. All three have put their lives, income, and security on the line to work full time for the pro-life cause. And as African-Americans, they can speak about racism from personal experience. The resulting conversations were humbling and eye opening as we reflected together on abortion, race, and the gospel message.
“Abortion is the #1 cause of death in black America.”
Continued below.
Abortion and Racism: Conversations with three black, pro-life leaders
As this past summer of protests and racial unrest was heating up, I began hearing increasing criticism directed at the American pro-life movement. An extreme, but telling example came from Rolling Stone Magazine’s Jamil Smith July 15: The moniker “pro-life,” so often used in the service of not just misogyny but also racism, should be retired right along with Aunt Jemima and the “Redskins” team name.
Other concerns focused on pro-lifers’ use of the phrase “All Lives Matter” or the movement’s prioritizing abortion over racism and other issues. Critics highlighted the “politicization” of abortion. Others faulted the movement for supposedly ignoring the root causes of abortion; still others declared those root causes to be off limits for discussion.
The array of concerns—ranging from vitriolic to well-intentioned to seemingly contradictory—puzzled me. To get a better perspective, I sought out three individuals who could speak to the issue from personal experience. All three have put their lives, income, and security on the line to work full time for the pro-life cause. And as African-Americans, they can speak about racism from personal experience. The resulting conversations were humbling and eye opening as we reflected together on abortion, race, and the gospel message.
“Abortion is the #1 cause of death in black America.”
Continued below.
Abortion and Racism: Conversations with three black, pro-life leaders
