The stupidity doesn’t stop in Arizona. It moves on to Chicago. Perhaps bad taste is a better word than stupidity. According to Yahoo News:
CHICAGO (AFP) – An anti-abortion billboard campaign using a likeness of President Barack Obama to target African-American women has angered women’s groups in Chicago.
Some 30 billboards declaring “Every 21 minutes our next possible leader is aborted” are being placed in predominantly African-American neighborhoods in Obama’s adopted hometown.
They are being displayed for free after the group’s controversial billboards declaring “the most dangerous place for an African-American is in the womb” were taken down following protests in New York.
The Texas pastor behind the campaign by Life Always said he wants to “encourage reflection” about the high abortion rate among African-Americans.
“For too long the scourge of abortion has been hidden behind political correctness,” said Stephen Broden, who is African-American.
Using the President of the United States for an anti abortion ad just violates the lines of good taste. Planned Parenthood of Illinois issued a statement saying the billboard was :
“an offensive and condescending effort to stigmatize and shame African-American women while attempting to limit their ability to make private, personal medical decisions.”
Cherisse Scott, a health educator with Black Women for Reproductive Justice, also took umbrage to this billboard. She stated:
“Who are these people?” she said. “They don’t care about us. They don’t know what women face in this community, in our clinics.”
Too bad those who have money for billboards so vehemently attack Planned Parenthood and other agencies that give women contraception and health information. Too bad some of that money cannot be put into child care and hot lunch programs for women and children in poverty. It is real easy to tell someone else how to live their lives from afar. I keep thinking of that old expression: “Walk a mile in someone else’s moccasins.”
Sickening and disgusting.
true and undeniable. another old expression: “the truth shall set you free.”
Whose truth is setting you free, e?
Well, never underestimate the depths to depravity the forced childbirth movement will sink.
Funny tho – I don’t see all those lily white “save de baybeeez” crusaders adopting black babies. If anything, if black babies are not adopted by blacks in this nation – they either go into foster care or they are adopted internationally. Seems as if instead of afterican american women aborting babies – they are EXPORTING them because so few want them.
Hmmmm….maybe that is something the forced birthers should examine….but they won’t, because it is not, nor has it ever been “about de baybeeeeeez!!!!”
To the pro-choice crowd: Is the issue here that every 21 minutes that a minority dies (or is not born, or whatever) or that women aren’t given enough information ahead of time to avoid becoming pregnant to begin with?
I think the ad is spot on (assuming the 21 minute metric is correct). I think the arguement from the pro-choice crowd shouldn’t be about the tastefulness of the ad (because you concede that the anti-abortion people are correct) but on refocusing education outreach and other methods to help lower those numbers.
Posting #4 is not rooted in any facts and hurts her cause. The arguement she posts is basically, “Your a racist if you do and a racist if you don’t.”
How on earth is something like that ever measured, Marin? This isn’t rocket science. Where are the greatest pockets of poverty? In the African American and Latino communities. Now let’s talk about that. The second highest demographic is Latino women. I sure don’t hear our usual anti abortion crowd bemoaning that fact. hmmmm
Marin you do realize the funding is being stripped from planned parenthood and sex education as we speak by YOUR peeps? I have done all I can do. I do several posts a week about what dastardly deeds are happening, especially to poor women. I give regularly to planned parenthood.
I almost find your remarks unintentionally insulting. Make your peeps stop doing what they are doing to poor women.
And you did not insult me by calling me the pro choice crowd. I wear that badge with honor. Its not something I whisper. More people need to get over their hang ups about thinking reproductive rights were not up for grabs to the highest bidder.
Not commenting on 4. It didn’t rattle my cage. I also cannot speak to the issue. It isn’t part of my field of knowledge.
Poor women will always have more abortions. That fact is part of the world of JUST IS.
I still stay the ad is very tasteless.
MH, how do we measure how many people are killed in car accidents by drunk drivers or how many burglaries occur every second. Same method. What I’ve said here is that trying to fight this on the race angle concedes the numerics. In the end you still have whites (in some places THEY are the minority) and blacks, hispanics, asians, whatever looking at that sign and saying — wow, thats a lot of kids. They don’t look at it as – the ad is racist because blacks are killing blacks – it’s a silly angle that just won’t work.
Yes, I realize programs are being cut. If a cop loses his job that doesn’t mean the government wants more crime. Maybe that cut will keep a homeless shelter open or get someone mental health assistance. Cuts happen to good programs – it happens.
It’s good that you give to PP. That’s your choice. BTW, did you see what McDonnell did regarding the VA health exchange?
Mind you, I agree with the idea that a woman can choose. I hope that she won’t make that choice but it’s not really my choice to make for her. When I refer to the pro-choice crowd I am in fact also addressing myself (so an insult is not implied as I’d be insulting myself..and that’s just not something I’d do). Again, simply pointing out that attacking this ad on racial grounds is a loser.
The ad is no more tasteless than an image of a wrecked car, a bottle of booze and a teenager spawled on the ground lifeless with an obviously drunk man in handcuffs in the background being led away.
Hey Marinm:
If the “pro-life” crowd is so concerned with aborted black babies – then why arent they:
Funding accurate sex ed programs in those areas
Making sure the lives of the ALREADY born children improve thorugh poverty eradication, increased access to education, BETTER schools and so on and so forth?
Why just focus on “Abortion”? The poor communities have far more problems than some women have abortions. YOu cannot see the forest for the trees. if abortion is so rampant, why not go in and examine WHY. Could it just *possily* be economic, environmental and social issues that lead women to decide not to have more babies?
It’s easy to infer that black women are too dumb and gullible to know what they are doing when abortiong….implying some absurd conspiracy that is targeting them as a race for extermination. But somehow the forced-birth crowd thinks these women – LIVING day to day in poverty must be somehow too dim to know what is best for them. I would rather argue that they know EXACTLY what they are doing and WHY.
So who is the racist? The forced-birthers who think blacks are too dim to know what is best for them? Or the pro-choicers who let them decide for themselves – and offer support no matter WHAT the choice because they are capable and free-willed people?
Hmmmmmm…….
“The Texas pastor behind the campaign by Life Always said he wants to “encourage reflection” about the high abortion rate among African-Americans.”
THAT BASTARD! How dare he ‘encourage reflection’ about the high abortion rate among African-Americans! What an effing monster!
I’m so glad that you pointed out the “Planned Parenthood of Illinois issued a statement saying the billboard”:
“an offensive and condescending effort to stigmatize and shame African-American women while attempting to limit their ability to make private, personal medical decisions.”
This is the same Planned Parenthood who DOES NOT OFFER MAMMOGRAMS! Great, they have a opinion worth mentioning because the care SOOOOO much about women’s health…. oh wait, not they don’t, they don’t even offer effing mammograms. The only thing that they apparently do is abort is disproportionate amount of African-American babies, their money maker. No wonder they have an ‘opinion’ on the matter. What is going on here!
http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2011/03/planned-parenthood-does-not-provide-mammograms.html
ROTFLMAO! What???? Are you joking? The AD ITSELF is beyond RACIST, and you’re saying that by calling out the racial hypocricy of the forced-birthers is racist in itself???
If the african-american community is under siege, slated for extermination, then where are these so-called pro-lifers trying to end gang violence, bringing jobs to these economically depressed areas, and revamping their schools systems? Where are they screaming for justice in the face of the fact many male african americans (what 1 in 9???) are in jail or dead. Hmmm……what about THOSE lives?
No, in order to end abortion the radical right needs the black vote on its side if it will ever have a chance to hold on to power. And what better way to get that? Why to insert the abortion issue in their neighborhoods and accuse pro-choicers of targeting them for extermination. Yeah, the ad is as innocent as apple pie….
Sweet jesus in a handbasket…..
OMG Dan….you’re high.
PP does offer mammograms as well as a plethora of other sevrices. You may want to try another news source than a blog called “Illinois Review: The COnservative Crossroads” is you hope to have any credibility.
But methinks, Dan, you’ve never been to a planned parenthood, needed an annual exam, or even a mammogram. Your outrage is almost convincing – almost.
Marin, I think those other examples are in poor taste too. And I don’t think you meant to insult me. I thought I said that. I don’t think it is in bad taste because of race. I think it is in bad taste because of the personal references to the president. I would geel that way regardless of who the president was.
In fact, I think it would be in bad taste to put up the likeness of anyone. I have seen it done for Jesus also. Very bad taste. I hope this clarifies.
I don’t think the metric can be all that exact. What do we base race on? The woman. The male involved could be any race. That opens up another can of worms.
@Not Me, Bubba
“So who is the racist? The forced-birthers who think blacks are too dim to know what is best for them? Or the pro-choicers who let them decide for themselves – and offer support no matter WHAT the choice because they are capable and free-willed people?”
I think the best judge is the community where these signs are present. If they take offense these signs may not last. I think that it’ll serve as a positive. If the end-goal is to have women be able to have a choice then we have to respect that some may in fact choose to have the child.
And, let’s be honest. This is only an ad. Some people will ignore it. Some people will look at it and disagree and pay it no mind. Some people may reflect on it. Either way the choice is on the viewer.
#10 tries to paint the anti-abortion crowd as racists and does not deserve a detailed response.
MH, no doubt about the mix of race and how they’re classified.
Angela is white. I’m hispanic. What are our kids? We’ve joked around that if we put them down as hispanic they’ll get more college offers but if we put them down as white they’ll get credit. 😉
All things being equal I’d rather have an ad up (like the one above) then confrontations at hospital-like facilities that practice abortion.
How are the baby Marins doing? I have been meaning to ask.
There is a new Fetus Howler in the works also.
I don’t want any protests at clinics so I suppose anything is better than that. That still shouldn’t mean people have to use bad taste. That money could go for helping some poor minority woman with child care.
@Dan Cooper
Any man who suggests that women need to reflect on abortion before they have one needs someone’s foot shoved up his butt.
Every woman I have ever known has done nothing BUT think (reflect) on the subject for weeks before it happened.
How effen dare he!
And You Lie about the mammograms. They are offered in some facilities. In most cases there are referrals for mammograms, similar to a regular gyn office. You are aware that many planned parenthood facilities do not offer abortion services.
Again, you are in to the trash reading and it is making you lie.
@marin,
I rarely call anyone a racist. There are other issues that come out and hit you on the chin long before racism even becomes a formed thought.
@Moon-howler
22 weeks w/ sono this weekend. The Level 2 anatomy check went faster than expected and had Victor at 12oz and Echo at 11oz. The scan did detect a mass in the girl – possible ovarian cyst about 7mm in size. But, it’s something we’ll just have to keep monitoring during our checks. I’ll take a moment to say thank God for insurance. BCBS has been very supportive of our effort and has never questioned a dime spent.
I think I’m going to surprise my wife with a 3D/4D scan around Weeks 26 or 28.
I saw the engagement announcement — and again congrats!!!! A fetus howler?? You spring chicken!!!
@Marin, Not me!!! Please! Yes, we will have lots of new additions to the family in the coming year. You know that I also have an infant howlers…about 3 months. g-howler I should say.
It sounds like everyone is coming along just fine with the young marins. Amazing what sonograms show.
That is a hell of a thing to wish for for Mother’s day…a 3-D sonogram. My stepson had one of those with one of those gkids. Amazing.
@marinm
List the children as “Chinese” and they’ll be put in charge. Never offend the “owner.”
Funny. Not sure if I’ve been watching too many episodes of “Firefly” or reading to many reports but I’m pretty sure if the kids are gonna learn a 2nd language — it ain’t gonna be Spanish. They’ll learn Mandarin. 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx7fNQcJAjs