Thursday, >^)ril 13, 1989 - THE CHARLOTTE POST - Page 7A
Anti-Choice Will Mean Death For Many Poor, Black Women
■T '
During the growing controver
sy surrounding the Imminent
action of the Supreme Court to
reconsider and possibly over
turn the Roe v. Wade decision
that legalized abortion In 1973,
the perspective of the country's
black women have not been
heard loud enough.
Unfortunately, If the nation's
African-American women do
not organize and speak up loud
ly for pro-choice and the reten
tion of legalized and accessible
abortion, they will be the real
losers.
It's true that black women
have had problems with the
feminist movement. Commonly
thought of as a "white woman's
thing" feminism didn't quite
have that much appeal for black
women who believed they'd
somehow betray black men If
they participated In the women's
movement. Given the choice to
fight racism or sexism, black
women usually opted to put their
strength behind fighting racism.
However, the feminist move
ment continued with some
black female support and a re
sult of the women's movement
that would come to greatly en
hance the lives of all women, es
pecially blacks, would be Roe v.
Wade. In Roe v. Wade an anony
mous pregnant woman chal
lenged the criminalization of
abortion and In winning the
case transformed abortion from
a secret danger to a legal right.
Roe V. Wade gave women more
power over procreation. In es
sence more control over their
lives.
What black woman did not
need more control over her life?
But now, 16 years later, there Is
a loud movement of people,
brought on by mainly white,
male fundamentalists, who wish
Is to take this control away.
They say they want to protect
unborn children. They say fetus
es have a right to life, no matter
the circumstances of the women
carrying these fetuses. The anti-
choice people want to recrlml-
nallze abortion or at least allow
Individual states the right to reg
ulate abortion services, giving
state government sovereignty
over women's bodies.
If these anti-choice people suc
ceed In having Roe v. Wade re
stricted or overturned, there Is
no doubt that abortions will still
continue In America. Abortions
have been around as long as
women have. However, going
back to pre-Roe criminal laws
will mean that only wealthy,
well-connected, mostly white
women will be able to afford the
right to choice. Poor, mostly
black women, will either have
no choice at all or will be subject
once again to back alley butch
ers and potentially fatal self-
induced abortions.
"I had heard about the coat-
hanger and knitting needle
abortions that were the standard
From the
Editor's
Desk
Jalyne Strong
methods for poor and nonwhite
women before the 1973 Roe V.
Wade ...," wrote Judy Simmons
In Essence magazine (October
1987).
Statistics bear out the conse
quences of what the reciiminal-
Ization of abortion will do to
black women In general. Ac
cording to reports by Sabrae
Jenkins of the Women of Color
Partnership Program, based In
Washington, DC. women of color
represented 75 percent of deaths
from Illegal abortions before
abortions were made legal. Jen
kins' report found "In New York
alone 50 percent of Illegal abor
tion deaths were black women."
Since slavery In America,
white men have tried and In
many Instances succeeded in
controlling black women’s re
production. It Is not without
some Irony that the leader of the
anti-choice group. Operation
Rescue, is a white man, Terry
Sam Nunn Raised Your Taxes
"Read my Ups! No new taxes!"
will earn President Geoige Bush
a place In American folklore.
But this brash statement under
mined the Democratic Party's
modus operandl. Thus aspiring
Democratic {fresldentlal hope
fuls can be expected to conjure
up ways to make Bush eat his
words.
U.S. Senator Sam Nunn's (D-
GA) handUng of the Ill-fated
nomination of former U.S. Sena
tor John Tower for Secretary of
Defense, showed that America's
taxes can be r2dsed regardless
of President Bush’s proclama
tion. The Tower debacle was a
presidential power-play be
cause It became the first time a
Cabinet nominee had been vot
ed down by the United States
Senate. This vote was laced with
partisan politics.
But we need to take a closer
look at the message the Tower
disaster sent to the world. Tow
er's nomination made President
Bush appear embattled at the
transition of power from former
President Ronald Reagan. It sig
naled the Organization of Petro
leum Exporting Countries and
some cash starved non-OPEC
nations that America was prime
for another staged oil shortage.
That Is, the first OPEX; oil em-
bau’go came during the height of
former President Richard M.
Nixon's Watergate crisis. The
Miller
Says
By Sherman Miller
second oil embargo csime when
President Jimmy Carter was
shown to be a weakling. The
above suggest that a weak U.S.
presidency guarantees action
by OPEC to drive up world oil
prices.
Some may protest this posi
tion. Yet they must notice that
during the tenure of Ronald Rea
gan, a very strong U.S. President,
the world oil market collapsed.
Thus, Sam Nunn and his Dem
ocratic cohorts have successful
ly raised America's tax burden
without a vote on the Senate
floor. One need only notice that
oil prices have risen roughly 15
percent since Bush took office.
ENen the Russians, whose econ
omy Is In a crisis, thumbed their
noses at the U.S. by joining
OPEC In controlling their oil
output.
The present quasl-oll embar
go, where OPEC and some non-
OPEC nations are attempting to
manipulate the world oil market,
should be considered Sam
Nunn's presidential tax burden
for the American people. Since
the U.S. economy Is driven by
the price of oil, Americans can
look forward to more Inflation
and higher Interest rates.
Will Inflation push a new car
out of the reach of many margi
nal families, thereby precipitat
ing a collapse of the U.S. auto
mobile market? Will the housing
Industry grind to a halt because
the American Dream has be
come too expensive for young
Americans? Will high unem
ployment become the ripple ef
fect from collapsed automobile
and housing Industries?
Although Sam Nunn wants
everyone to believe that nobody
won on the Tower nomination
debacle, he knows that foreign
' oil producers are now making
the American public pay a high
oil tax for his partisan embar
rassment of President Bush. I
trust the new, much touted, bi
partisan Contra Aid package to
help the Nicaraguan Rebels Is a
sign that President Bush has re
gained his lost stature so world
oil prices will seek a fair and
equitable level for both produc
ers and consumers.
A Closer Look At Black And White Pride
Despite a series of racial inci
dents over two years, the faculty
at the School of Literature, euds
and Sciences at the University
of Michigan voted down a propo
sal to require students to take a
course on race, ethnicity and ra
cism.
Incidents at Michigan have In
cluded verbal and physical as
saults on black students and the
distribution of KKK literature t«5
black students' rooms. However,
the one that received the widest
publicity was the broadcast of
racist jokes by a campus disc
jockey.
As a matter of fact, I based a
scene In my movie, 'The White
Girl," on that Incident. At the fic
tional State University In the
film, Kim (who suffers from ra
cial anxiety) is verbal^ assault
ed with racist jokes by two disc
jockeys from "Campus Shock
Radio." Ironlcadly, Kim, although
black herself, was Insensitive to
black people.
But It wasn't fiction that a
black student from the Universi
ty of Michigan wrote last week
on the editorial pages of The
New York Times. Veronica 'Wool-
rldge said that she and other
blacks were trying to graduate
"amid racial tensions."
"Black and white students at
the university are separate - ec-
onomlcalty unequal and socially
exclusive. They separate them
selves to find security In asso
ciating with members of their
own race. Separatism compli
cates the communication dis
parity that already exists be
tween the races In society at
large.
"Black students have a kind of
unwritten code. When we see
each other, even If we don't know
each other, we offer a greeting In
support. In most of my classes,
the few black students In a class
of 200 will sit together, as they
do In the cafeteria — an attempt
Toay
Bro’wn's
Commentaries
to survive in a white, elite Insti
tution," Wooliidge wrote.
"Competition results In acts of
overt racism, like the flier that
circulated last week declaring
April as 'White Pride Time’ —
featuring such events as
'councillng (sic) sessions on
how to deal with uppity nig
gers."’
Right next to Woolrldge's piece
was an article by a Stanford stu
dent who described himself as a
"middle-class black student"
and reminds me of Kim In "The
White Girl." Stanford, he says, is
a virtual Interracial heaven.
Never mind that you saw and
read about "minority student
demonstrations" on the campus
last year. It's the "outsiders" who
are responsible for Stanford’s
reputation as racist, he adds. Af
ter all. he "mixes" at parties and
"there are many Interracial
couples" whose "relationships
are no longer an Issue.”
Therefore, we have two views of
the white world from black stu
dents at white colleges. Wool-
rldge describes the survival re
ality of blacks In a white world
while the Stanford integratlon-
1st sees the world through the
eyes of a Negro looking for a
white woman.
In the meantime, the NCAA
just announced in a new study
that black athletes dominate
their football and basketball
teams, but not their graduation
classes (39 percent have grade
averages below a "C" and no
chance of graduating).
At 291 NCAA Division I foot
ball and basketball schools,
four percent of the student en
rollment Is black, but 37 percent
of the football players, 56 per
cent of the male basketball
players and 33 percent of the fe
male basketball players are
black. It's my guess that the
starting teams In football and
basketball are 90 percent-plus
blacks.
Yet, 70 percent of the black
athletes In the study expressed
feelings of being dlferent; over
50 percent felt socially and
emotionally Isolated; and 33
percent reported at least six In
cidents of racial discrimination.
The study also found that
black athletes at black colleges
are better adjusted and Integrat
ed Into extra-curricular activi
ties than black athletes at white
colleges, spend more time pre
paring for class and In class and
have more sensitive coaches
and teammates than black
players at white colleges.
This study demonstrates that
while racism Is causing white
pride at white colleges, scholar
ship and unity are the causes for
black pride at black colleges.
TONY BROWN'S JOURNAL
TV series can be seen on public
television Sunday on Channel
42 at 5 p.m. It can also be seen
on Channel 58, Saturday, 1:30
p.m. Please consult listings.
Randall. His most visual sup
porters, Joe Scheldler, Jerry
Falwell and Pat Robertson and
let's not omit President George
Bush, also, are all white men.
Given historical knowledge, one
must question these men's mo
tives In their effort to curtail
women's, particularly black
women's, power over procrea
tion.
"In the nineteenth century,
abortion was first criminalized
as part of an antifeminist and
natlvlst effort to force upper-
class women to reproduce at the
same time Immigrant, black,
disabled and poor women were
slated for sterilization," reports
Ms. Magazine ('The Gathering
Storm: Roe V. Wade," April
1989). "Undoing Roe v. Wade
would legalize similar racist
policies again."
Indeed, there was the time
when black women were forced
to be sterilized. Now, the pendu
lum have swung In the opposite
direction, but the result Is still
to take away a black woman's
control over her body.
It's common knowledge that
unwanted pregnancies bring a
host of problems, the most de
fining being the usual poverty
trap that captures poor, mostly
black, single mothers. The child
bom of the unwanted pregnancy
will likely face poverty, malnu
trition, poor health care, and in
many Instances abuse.
The rlght-to-llfers speak of
saving imbom fetuses, but they
neglect to sp>eak to maintaining
healthy children. They harass
abortion-seeking women. In
timidate scared, pregnant teen
agers and bum down abortion
clinics. They do not champion
federally subsidized child care.
They are not alarmed at the
growing number of American
children living In poverty. They
do not offer help to curtail child
abuse. Conversely, they do seek
to Improve access to sex educa
tion or tlie availability of birth
control.
It seems they are only con
cerned with a so-called rlght-to-
hfe, not a right to a quality life.
And for this reason their mo
tives will always be In question.
Until last week's march In
Washington that brought out
300,000 pro-choice activists, the
people who support a woman’s
right to privacy and abortion
have quietly taken this freedom
of choice for granted. Now that
Roe V. Wade Is being threatened,
people who have the most at
stake have to speak up for their
rights.
Black women have the most
to lose If the Supreme Court jus
tices allow any restrictions to a
women's right to a private, safe
and legal abortion. If worse
comes to worse, black women In
general, will have to pay with
their lives, either through death
or poverty.
Abortion remains a complicat
ed Issue. There will always be
the sorrowing concern for the
unborn children. There's little
doubt that few If any people like
the Idea of abortion and women,
contrary to what the rlght- to-
llfers would have you believe, do
not enjoy having abortions.
Statistics gathered by Family
Planning Perspectives (July/
August 1988) show that the top
three reasons wofApn choose to
have abortions aife: 6ne, can't af
ford a child, two. Wanting to
avoid single parentljiood and
three, (having the child) would
change her life (Job, sch^l).
The ability to be able to' choose
a certain quality of life for her
self, has to remain a right pf life
for women, all women, whether
they are rich or poor, blaOk or
white. . I
For this reason, black womeSn
especially must begin to be
vocal In support for fjro-clMcfl.
Write, call or telegram President
Bush and Attorney General
Thornburg demanding that f^ey
defend Roe rather than call for
Its reversal. Write or conts^t
your federal and state repfese%
tatlves. Urge pro-choice legisi#
tors to take leadership roles, tb
speak out against overruling
Roe, and to sponsor leglslatlot|i
protecting abortion should con* *
stltutlonal protection be with*
drawn. Give money to your fa
vorite pro-choice organizations.
Remember It Is your life you're
fighting for.
1
^ SUREfTS
mamp
^uutT
mmm
oFPm
(SAST-SF
mm
Who Are We Going To Blame?
What Is happening?
Millions of barrels of oil have
covered the Alaskan waters,-
Down here In North Carollifa,
supplies of inexpensive oil and
gas are drying up. We know that
the two events have something
to do with each other, and we aret,
looking for somebody to blame.
In Alaska, who will It be? Exx
on? The other oil companies?
The government for allowing
such a risky enterprise? The
captain of the tanker who may
have had too much to drink be
fore the accident? The third
mate who was on the bridge
when the ship hit the reef?
Somebody, somebody, we have
to find somebody to throw the
book at. Somebody has to take
the rap for this catastrophe. It
was not an "Act of God" or some
sort of "natural" calamity.
No, we have got to put the fin
ger on somebo^. Who Is It going
to be?
Meanwhile, our gas prices are
shooting up. Five cents, ten
cents, fifteen cents a gallon in
creases. Suddenly ft's over a $1
everywhere, even If you pumf> it
yourself, wash your own window.
D.G.
Martin
One-On-One
and pay cash.
It reminds us of the early
1970s when the OPEX: oil cartel
nearly strangled us by suddenly
cutting back the supply of gas
and raising prices.
Who is tflfblame for all this?
Remember back then when we
promised that we would never
again be dependent on foreign
oil? We would cut back on con
sumption. We would down-size
cars. Carpool. Ride buses and
bicycles. Walk more. Lower the
speed limit top 55 miles per
hour everywhere.
We would make every sacrifice
to be sure that we not be slaves
to the automobile and foreign oil
again.
We would find alternative
sources of energy. And we wodld
make our government and our
businesses make (dans for a fu
ture that worked without using
so much energy -- one that was
not dependent on everybody, go
ing-everywhere In their own car.
■^o Is \o blame?
Who Is pushing our Governor
and our legislature to borrow
and spend billions of dollars to
build new roads that will In
crease oil .consumption by car
rying more and more gas-
bumlng tars? M^io pushed to
raise the speed limit back to 65?
Who is driving a bigger car?
Whose number one problem Is
where to park at work or at
school? I
Those pf us whoi have to an
swer yes tp sothe of those ques
tions don’t have to look far. The
right person to blame for the
Alaskan oil spill and rising gas
prices is nearby'.
Just find the nearest mirror.
Stand Up And Be Counted In '90 Census
Guest Editorial
By Cong. Augustus Hawkins
The 1990 census, an evalua
tion of America's population
and demographic characteris
tics, will be the 21st In our na
tion's history, and the largest
and most complex ever under
taken. It Is of great Importance
that every American participate
in the census survey.
-An accurate record of your
community's population and
profile Is extremely Important
in determining the share of fed
eral and state assistance It will
be eligible for In terms of adloca-
tion of loans, subsidies, grants,
public housing, emergency
funds, etc. Census Irrformation
is used by theC«ngress and gov
ernment agencies In both the
planning and management of
federal and local programs, and
In the distribution of billions of
dollars a year to local communi
ties for school lunches, job
training, education, police pro
tection, auid much more.
In addition to the federal gov
ernment's use of the census, here
are some examples of how civic
and other public officials used
census facts and figures to help
meet community needs:
* The high number of working
women with small children In a
community, revealed by a study
of census data, prompted com
munity leaders In a nfidwestem
city to seek and win approval for
a day care center.
* Using census numbers to bol
ster Its request, a senior citizens
organization argued successful
ly before county commissioners
for a coipmunlty center.
• During a severe heat wave,
public health officials In St.
Louis used census facts to locate
neighborhoods with large num
bers of the elderly: city workers
went door-to-door, convincing
many seniors to go to specifical
ly designed air conditioned cen
ters.
• In San Francisco, transpor
tation planners used census In
formation to select bus routes,
subway stops, highways that
needed widening.
It is also Important to note
that the census count deter-
mine? representation In the U.S.
House of Representatl^s, state
legislatures, county and city
governments.
Historically, minority com
munities have been severety un
dercounted. This undercount
translates into lost government
funds for the comnapnldes that
need this assistance the most.
That Is why I urge people who
are concerned about the welfare
of their community to cooperate
with census takers. I also urge
civic and community leaders to
"get the word out" on the Impor
tance of an accurate census
count
By law, -your answers to census
questions are confidential. In
formation from the 1990 Census
will be used only to prdvkle sta
tistical summaries, and your
own particular answers cannot
be identified. Dpn't be short-
cheinged -remember an afccurate
census count benefits you and
your children. Stand up and be
counted.