Ga. Bill To Ban Abortions Based on Race, Gender Fuels Debate Among Advocates

March 10, 2010 — A Georgia bill (HB 1155) that would ban abortions based on race or gender is further fueling claims by antiabortion-rights groups that minority populations are being "targeted" by abortion providers, the Washington Times reports. The Georgia bill would make it illegal to knowingly solicit, perform or accept funding for abortions based on race or gender. The state Judiciary Non-Civil Committee has scheduled a hearing on the bill for Wednesday (Wetzstein, Washington Times, 3/10).

The debate comes amid controversy surrounding an Atlanta antiabortion-rights billboard campaign sponsored by Georgia Right to Life and the Radiance Foundation that features an image of a black child with the message, "Black children are an endangered species" at the top.

Blacks make up about 30% of the state's population. Federal data show that black women obtained 57.4% of abortions in Georgia in 2006. However, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show that the fertility rate among black women -- the number of births per 1,000 women of childbearing age -- is higher than the national average and has increased in recent years (Women's Health Policy Report, 2/9).

Loretta Ross, the national coordinator of SisterSong, said, "The wording of the campaign is offensive," She added, "[T]o many of us, it compares our children to exotic animals. Our children are not animals."

Melissa Gilliam, an associate professor for obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Chicago Medical Center, said it is "absurd" to allege that abortion providers target women of color. She said that unintended pregnancies and lack of access to health care and contraception contribute to the higher abortion rate among blacks.

Vanessa Cullins, vice president for medical affairs for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said the organization has been wrongly pegged as racist through "race-baiting phone calls" from antiabortion-rights advocates who pose as callers claiming they would like to donate money earmarked for abortions of minorities (Wetzstein, Washington Times, 3/10).