Earlier this spring, a young African-American woman posted a photo of herself breastfeeding at her college graduation. Rather than see the positive side, that this young woman graduated college while raising and breastfeeding a baby, so many people had only negative things to say, and the woman eventually ended up deleting it. A few months later a Caucasian woman did the same, posting a photo of herself breastfeeding at her college graduation. The response to that photo was much different. The university chose to share the photo on their facebook page and while it did receive some negative feedback, the positive responses to the photo were much greater.
Almost identical photos, such a different response. This has prompted some people to discuss the issue of race and how it relates to what is considered acceptable for Person’s of Color and how that differs from acceptable behavior for Whites.
I feel one thing fueling racism is the hierarchical thinking so prevalent in our culture. Instead of believing that life itself has extraordinary value, that every life is equal, simply because they are human, our society believes in a hierarchical understanding of human worth which says that some lives are of different value than others. The value of some lives being less than the value of others’ lives is used to justify such things as bigotry, abuse, war and abortion, just to name a few.
Furthermore, such hierarchical thinking is inherently racist, because minority populations are at greater risk of living in poverty, coming from a household headed by a single parent, and thus at greater risk for needing government assistance for healthcare, food, and mental health services. All this puts them at greater risk of being perceived as “non-productive” or even “useless” members of society.
With this kind of thinking, it’s no wonder that the abortion industry does what it does. Planned Parenthood systematically targets minority women for abortion. 79% of its surgical abortion facilities are located within walking distance of African American or Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods. In fact, 50 out of 1,000 black women have abortions, compared to just 14 for white women.
Such “hierarchical” thinking is also un-Feminist. Women have often given their time and energy to caring for the “non-productive” members of society, such as infants, children, and the elderly. Furthermore, we ourselves often know the experience of vulnerability. The experiences of pregnancy and childbirth place us in vulnerable positions, and we know that our worth does not diminish in times of weakness and increase in times of health. Our worth remains constant. From the moment of our conception, every single human being has intrinsic value. Each life is precious, none more valuable than another, even those who are weak and vulnerable, or those who are burdened or poor. We are all the same. Aging and sickness, social class and race does not change this. Every life has not just potential value, but it has immeasurable value now.
The quote on the statue of liberty says: “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me “
Let this be the motto of the Pro-Life movement. Let us show the world that every life has equal value and that we are here to protect those most vulnerable in our society. Let us give the poor what they truly need, the recognition of their dignity, and the practical help that will empower them to live lives worthy of the dignity that is theirs. Let us determine the humanity of all human beings once and for all. If we don’t, the abortion industry will.
photo credit: edenpictures via photopin cc
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