(LifeSiteNews) — February is a time to celebrate the amazing people in the African American community who have contributed so much to society and who have helped our country become great.
Every sitting president since 1976 has designated the month of February as Black History Month. According to History.com, “Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history.” It is “a time to honor the contributions and legacy of African Americans across U.S. history and society – from activists and civil rights pioneers such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Rosa Parks to leaders in industry, politics, science, culture and more.”
But I would be remiss if I did not mention the scourge of abortion that targets the black community and that has wiped from existence millions of human beings who would have made an impact – if not on the community at large then simply within their families.
It’s no secret that abortion disproportionately affects black people. It always has.
In a recent interview on The World and Everything in It, Ryan Bomberger – the black pro-life founder of The Radiance Foundation – said that the New York State Department of Health found that “for every 1,000 live births in the black community [in that state], there were 763 abortions” and that this ratio “is 7 times higher than whites and 2.2 times higher than Hispanics.”
Bomberger went on to say, “The Center for Disease Control’s newest Abortion Surveillance Report confirms a decades-long trend of decreased abortions among white women and drastically increased abortions among black women… nationwide, nearly 42% of America’s abortions are now committed on black babies.”
An article on the Ohio Senate website adds statistics for its state, saying that “48.4% of abortions performed in Ohio were on black women” and that “black babies in Ohio are 6 times more likely to be aborted than white babies.”
A June 2015 Policy Report disseminated by the Center for Urban Renewal and Education estimated that “more than 19 million black babies have been aborted since 1973.” And that was nine years ago!
So in roughly the same time period since the inception of Black History Month, over 20 million black people have lost a chance to celebrate their heritage and to make a difference in our world.
The article on the Ohio Senate site concludes with this chilling statement: “This is not healthcare – this is extermination.”
Indeed, that seems to be the goal. It’s no secret that Margaret Sanger – the founder of Planned Parenthood – espoused a racist philosophy and called black people the “weeds” of society. Planned Parenthood itself admitted her racism in a 2021 statement that addressed her “alignment with the eugenics movement, rooted in white supremacy.” According to the statement, “The difficult truth is that Margaret Sanger’s racist alliances and belief in eugenics have caused irreparable damage to the health and lives of black people, indigenous people, people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants, and many others.”
Yet Planned Parenthood continues to target black people and minorities and locates the majority of its facilities in these neighborhoods. Protecting Black Life states that the “2010 Census results reveal that… 79% of [Planned Parenthood’s] surgical abortion facilities are located within walking distance of African American or Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods.”
This is the disgusting truth that many know but too few are willing to admit.
Our country needs a mindset change. The answer isn’t more abortion facilities. It isn’t increased taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood. It isn’t more death. Nor is it politicians who vote for these atrocities. The people of our country must learn to value the lives of all human beings.
It’s a monumental ask. Some would say it’s impossible. Look at the rampant violence and looting in the streets, the increased shootings, and the general lack of respect for human life. How are we to get to a point where violence against people – both born and preborn – is unthinkable? How do we combat this targeted extermination disguised as “healthcare”?
With God’s grace, we educate; we speak up. We do what it takes to spread the truth that, regardless of how they were created, preborn babies of all races are human beings worthy of protection.
And we make our actions speak for us. We need more good pro-life people to do the work of God here on earth. So many do, but the need is immense.
This is not a job for someone “else” to do. We can’t lay the responsibility for creating change on other people and hope that it happens. This is a vocation for you. It is a vocation for me.
It is a responsibility we must all accept.
Remember, “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
If we keep doing nothing to protect life, we will lose lives.
If we keep voting for people who make it their life’s work to couch abortion as “healthcare,” we will lose lives.
If we read articles about the atrocity of abortion and just shake our heads and turn the page, we will lose lives.
So this month especially, while many are cheering for the accomplishments of black people, remember that a segment of the population is championing their death and calling it “healthcare.”
A few years ago, Walter Hoye II, a black pro-life pastor out of California, spoke about this “black genocide,” as he calls it. He stated, “We’re no longer even replacing ourselves. If black America doesn’t stop aborting her children at the current rate, black America has only got about 30 years left. By 2050 black America will be facing irreversibility.”
Abortion is not healthcare. Those who advocate for abortion – in public or in private – do not have the best interests of women, babies, or families in mind. It’s time we all stood up and made these truths known.
Abortion is never the right answer to a surprise pregnancy. Community assistance, the love of neighbor, and strong families is the answer.
How will you take action?
Susan Ciancio is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and has worked as a writer and editor for over 20 years; 14 of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently, she is the editor of American Life League’s Celebrate Life Magazine – the nation’s premier Catholic pro-life magazine. She is also the executive editor of ALL’s Culture of Life Studies Program – a pre-K-12 Catholic pro-life education organization.