I mentioned the conspiracy fantasy film called Maafa 21: Black Genocide in 21st Century America in my post titled "What Abortion is Not." There, I introduce some key reasons as to why it is wrong to equate abortion with genocide. I didn't think I would have to explain this to the college students here in Clarion, but apparently, they are just as susceptible to sensationalistic bullshit and rhetoric as the general public. So I made pamphlets about the film and passed them out at the event. Hilariously enough, I included the wrong URL for the stupid Life Dynamics company. (I wrote www.ldi.com instead of www.lifedynamics.com. Goddamnit, the fact that I could not be bothered to double-check that URL does not help my cause at all!)
Here's what I wrote:
...This movie has been advertised as a “ground-breaking documentary” about the history of racist eugenics in the United States.
However, this movie is not really about that. It claims that all abortion and contraception in 21st America is a conspiracy of genocide against the black community. This film is essentially a conspiracy theory propagated by religious “pro-life” conservatives. It exists to shame and criminalize women of color who make informed decisions about their reproductive health.
Who produced Maafa 21?
This film was produced by a company called Life Dynamics (www.lifedynamics.com). They are a fundamentalist Christian “pro-life” company. Life Dynamics is notably anti-woman and anti-choice. Their films and educational materials are based on sensationalism, hatred, and conspiracy theories. They call Planned Parenthood: “Klanned Parenthood” and believe that Planned Parenthood is an organization of child predators and racists.
What is genocide?
Genocide is defined as “the systematic killing of a substantial number of people on the basis of ethnicity/race, religion, social status, or other particularity.” Abortion is not genocide and it is not a systematic killing. A zygote/embryo/fetus is not a person or a people. Black women in modern-day US are not forced or coerced to have abortions. Here are some population statistics:
The fertility rate among Black/African Americans remains at 2.2, higher than the fertility rate for the “white” community. Population reports predict that by 2050, our country will be able to celebrate the Black/African American community as the new racial & ethnic majority.
Who is Margaret Sanger?
She was the founder of Planned Parenthood and she pushed for the normalization of birth control in the United States. Contrary to popular belief, she was actually against abortion because she thought that the legalization of birth control would eliminate the need for abortion.
It is true that Margaret Sanger was a racist eugenicist. Her racist beliefs were, are, and always will be deplorable and wrong.
However, most women will tell you that she was not wrong about birth control. Women have fought hard for reproductive freedom. The access to contraception, women’s health services, and abortion are all basic human rights. To deny women these rights is to deny their humanity and the control of their own bodies.
We must not condemn the entire philosophy of reproductive freedom because of the erroneous and racist beliefs of one individual.
For example, Henry Ford (founder of Ford automobiles) was an anti-Semitist who openly collaborated with the Nazis. But this does not mean that we condemn all cars as a symbol of anti-Semitism. This does not mean that we call the modern-day Ford company “Nazis.”
As another example, Charles Darwin (the scientist) was also a racist eugenicist. But this does not mean that the theory of Evolution is racist. It does not mean that we discount Evolution as “wrong” just because of Darwin’s erroneous personal beliefs.
So, although Margaret Sanger was racist, this does not mean that a woman’s decision to use birth control or a woman’s choice to terminate her pregnancy is somehow a racist genocide plot. It does not mean that modern-day Planned Parenthood is racist.
Why it is WRONG to claim that abortion is “genocide”–
Language is everything. Genocide is a word used to describe the Holocaust or the killing in Darfur. To misuse and politicize the word “genocide” is to devalue its meaning. It is insulting and incredibly demeaning to the victims of the WWII Holocaust and the victims in Darfur to say that abortion/contraception is morally comparable to genocide.
Finally, by claiming that abortion/contraception is genocide, it invites reactionary violence against women and against their doctors. We have already seen this in our time. Women are harrassed and assaulted at clinics on a daily basis by hateful “pro-life” activists. Dr. Tiller – a caring and heroic abortion provider – was murdered in his church by a fundamentalist Christian. Harrassing women, killing doctors, and trying to criminalize abortion is not “pro-life.”
Maafa 21 is an insult not only to women of color, but to all women, and to everyone who believes in reproductive freedom.
I forgot to mention in my pamphlet that Planned Parenthood isn't even responsible for the majority of abortions; most are performed at independent clinics. I also didn't mention why we see more Planned Parenthood centers in "traditionally black" communities - but that is addressed in my "What Abortion is Not" blog entry.
What we really need to address is how we can limit the rate of unintended/unwanted pregnancies in minority communities. We need to address the need for better sex education and contraceptive use to bring down the rate of abortion. What we don't need is some holier-than-thou group trying to shame women of color into giving birth to a child that they do not want to have and/or can not care for.
I am truly disgusted by this new race angle that the anti-choice community is pursuing. The anti's have always been the religious conservatives, the Republicans, the ones most likely to not give a damn about racial minorities until those minorities fit into their little moralistic agenda. I hate to see that they are using marginalized people - black women living in poor neighborhoods - as a prop for their campaign of lies. They don't care about black women or black children. All they care about is suppressing women's rights and access to reproductive healthcare. And if they have to USE a minority group to do that, then they will. But goddamn, they have really hit a new low. They know that they can take a sensitive issue and try to stand behind it like they care and that some people will fall for it. Well, I'm not. It's funny how these anti's don't give a damn about equal rights, affirmative action, better welfare, WIC, better healthcare, better education, better pregnancy/STD prevention in minority communities... but suddenly, oh-so-suddenly they try to claim that they CARE about black citizens. Please. Don't give me that shit. How many backwards, racist, sexist, homophobic pro-choice liberals do you know? My guess is probably none. Most of the die-hard conservatives (especially the religious conservatives) whom I've met in my lifetime are racist fucks who think that Black women are "irresponsible" and don't deserve to control their own fertility. Sorry, but that's the truth as I've seen it and witnessed it. And I'm not falling for their modern-day conspiracy theory crap.
Neither are these people:
Women of Color and the Anti-Choice Focus on Eugenics
On Personhood: The Dehumanization of Black Women & Children
SisterSong denounces Georgia Sex & Race Selection Bill
Georgia Right to Life using Racialized Gender Narrative to Garner Support
Black Women Don't Need Billboards
Worried about Women of Color? Thanks, but No Thanks, Anti-Choicers. We've Got it Covered.
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