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On January 22. 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion through all 9 months of pregnancy. Since legalized abortion, the lives of approximately 50 million pre-born babies have been extinguished. Approximately 15 million of these abortions were African American babies.
White women are 61% of the female population and account for 36% of all abortions, black women are 14% of the female population and have over 40% of abortions, and Hispanic women are 15.8% of the female population and have 25% of abortions.
On Friday, June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The decision dismantled 50 years of legal protection and paved the way for individual states to curtail or outright ban abortion rights. (Read More about this historic decision)
- Every day in the United States, approximately 1500 black babies are aborted and the numbers continue to rise
- Over 40% of African American pregnancies end in abortion
- Abortion has reduced the African American population by 33%
Key Terms
Abortion: The termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of a fetus or embryo from the uterus, resulting in or caused by it’s death.
Abortion-minded: A woman who appears to be planning or intending to obtain an abortion.
Conception: Formation of a viable zygote (fertilization of a female egg) by the union of the male sperm and female ovum.
Human Embryo: A fertilized egg that has begun cell division. The term embryo is used to describe the early stages of fetal growth from conception to the eighth week of pregnancy.
Human Fetus: The unborn young from the eighth week of pregnancy to birth.
Post-Abortive: A woman who has experienced an abortion.
Post-Abortive Syndrome (PAS): A traumatic stress disorder that many women experience following an abortion.
Pro-Life: Advocating the legal protection of human embryos and fetuses, especially by favoring the outlawing of abortion on the ground that it is taking a human life.
Abortion Procedures
The following are different methods used to destroy a developing BABY:
The “Morning After” Pill – a chemical swallowed in the first trimester, within the first 72 hours of a pregnancy. This drug contains a high concentration of the chemical in birth control pills – however, three or four times stronger. Although a female may not know whether she is pregnant, this pill is designed to stop a possible pregnancy by expelling the fertilized egg.
The RU-486 Method (The French Abortion Pill) – a chemical swallowed in the first trimester, from four to seven weeks. The drug RU-486 or mifepristone is a synthetic steroid that destroys the hormone progesterone which is necessary to sustain life in the uterus. The baby starves as the nutrient-rich lining disintegrates. This procedure usually requires three office visits. The RU-486 or mifepristone pills are given to the woman who returns two days later for a second medication called miprostol. The combination of these medications causes the uterus to expel the dead baby.
The Vacuum-Suction Method (Suction Aspiration) – Surgery performed in the first trimester. This surgical abortion is done early in the pregnancy up until 7 weeks after the woman’s last menstrual period. The cervical muscle is dilated and inserted with pencil like tools (dilators) until the opening is wide enough to allow the abortion instruments to pass into the uterus. A hand held syringe is attached to tubing (cannula) that is inserted into uterus and the baby is suctioned out.
The Suction Curettage Method – This surgical abortion is done within 6 to 14 weeks after the women’s last menstrual period. In this procedure, the doctor opens the cervix with a dilator (a metal rod) or laminaria (thin sticks derived from plants and inserted hours before the procedure). The doctor inserts tubing into the uterus and connects the tubing to a suction machine. The suction pulls the baby’s body apart and out of the uterus. One variation of this procedure is called Dilation and Curettage (D&C). In this method, the doctor may use a curette, a loop-shaped knife, to scrape the pieces out of the uterus.
The Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) Method – This surgical abortion is done during the second trimester of pregnancy, 13 to 24 weeks after the women’s last menstrual period. Because the developing baby doubles in size between the eleventh and twelfth weeks weeks of pregnancy, the body of the baby is too large to be broken up by suction and will not pass through the suction tubing. The mouth of the mother’s womb is stretched (dilated) to admit large forceps that are used to crush the baby’s head. The body is then cut apart and removed.
The Dilation and Extraction (D&X) – Partial Birth Abortion — This surgical abortion is done from 20 weeks after the women’s last menstrual period to full-term. The woman receives medication to start labor. After labor begins, the abortion doctor uses ultrasound to locate the baby’s legs. Grasping the baby’s leg with forceps, the doctor delivers the baby up to the baby’s head. Next, scissors are inserted into the base of the skull to create an opening. A suction tube is inserted and sucks out the brains, causing the skull to collapse. The baby is removed.
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