Bob Beauprez says 70% of African-American pregnancies end in abortion

[Ian David]

Dear ProgressNowAction Network Member,

This week marks the 43th Anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Yet Congressman Bob Beauprez marked it by arguing in a KCFR televised interview that “70 percent” of African American “pregnancies end in abortion.”

Beauprez stated that “in some of our ethnic communities we’re seeing very, very high percentages of babies, children, pregnancies end in abortion.” When KCFR asked him to name “which ethnic communities in particular” he was referring to, Beauprez answered, “I’ve seen numbers as high as 70 percent, maybe even more, in the African American community that I think is just appaling.”

According to Colorado Media Matters, Beauprez's statement is completely inconsistent with, and a gross exaggeration of, statistics cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Coloradans deserve better from Beauprez than this disgusting demonstration of ignorance, trying to push his anti-abortion agenda at the expense of African American women, men, and families.

We call on Beauprez to apologize for his careless statement:

http://www.ProgressNowAction.org/BeauprezApologize

This is especially of concern considering that Beauprez demonstrated poor judgment and racial insensitivity last year when he was quoted in the newspaper saying “I’ve vacationed in Mexico before. I know exactly what ‘Mexican time’ is.”

Beauprez claimed in response to criticism about that article that there isn’t a “bigoted, racist, slanderous hair” on his body. But Beauprez’s actions tell a different story. He continues to receive failing grades from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the worst possible grade from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights for his failure to support issues important to ethnic communities. (Votesmart.com)

Join in our call for Beauprez to apologize for his careless statement:

http://www.ProgressNowAction.org/BeauprezApologize

Thank you,

State Representatives Rosemary Marshall and Terrance Carroll
ProgressNowAction Network Members

[arcane1]

1. if that were true, Fundies would become pro-choice overnight n/t

[peacebird]

2. How true!!!

[serryjw]

4. Talk about distorting facts

http://www.abortionfacts.com/statistics/race.asp

------quote......
Therefore, if poverty can be used to justify the slaughter of unborn babies, then African-Americans are the most likely people to become endangered by legalized abortion on demand. African-Americans, who are 12% of the population, received at least 30% of the abortions in the 1980's. The number of abortions may go even higher in the wake of government efforts to halt the birth rate of welfare recipients. Current welfare reform proposals will allow states to put a cap on births to mothers who receive public assistance.

Statistics like this do not indicate that abortion is really a help for the poor. In reality, abortion is just another means for wiping out the poor, especially if the poor person happens to be black!

end quote....
http://www.pregnantpause.org/racism/mistaken.htm

By in large blacks do not support abortion. They also have families that will help if an unmarried gal gets pregnant more than white families.

[LA lady]

3. Could he be right?

Guttmacher Institute:
Black women are almost four times as likely as white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are 2.5 times as likely.<7>

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html

I will keep looking...

[mrreowwr_kittty]

5. Do they factor in pregnancy rates?

A higher abortion rate could correspond with a higher overall pregnancy rate. But it wouldn't mean that 70% of pregnant black women abort their pregnancies.