One out of two African-American pregnancies end in abortion. Does it matter? I was advised by a voice I respect that I'm walking into a minefield, that perhaps a white guy shouldn't be writing about black abortion. I drove to the Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church in Des Moines to ask Rev. Keith Ratliff about it.
Ratliff, who is African-American and serves on the national board of directors of the NAACP, said, "Any caring individual has a right to write about life." He characterized abortion as a "silent genocide" in the African-American community.
Blacks represent 12 percent of the population nationally, but account for 36 percent of all abortions. Ratliff told me abortion is the biggest killer in the African-American community, topping cancer, heart disease, AIDS and homicide.Why talk about black abortion today? Here's why: This is Black History Month. Des Moines Register
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