Stand Up and Be Counted For Unborn Babies

By Lorna Bryan

I have always wondered why more Black Americans are not involved in pro-life leadership roles. One thought is that most of us do care, but we don't take the issue to heart as deeply as we should. Whatever the explanation, in order for the Pro-Life Movement to be successful, all Americans need to be involved regardless of race, color, ethnic origin, or religious denomination.

Today, most Blacks are fundamentally opposed to the killing of unborn babies. This should come as no surprise, since Black families have always viewed having children as a good thing.

If we look back to our ancestral roots, having children was viewed as a sign of prosperity and blessings. This concept crystallized during slavery, when those who had been ripped from their homelands and societies could only find solace and comfort in starting a new family - - a new society - - by having children or by helping neighbors to raise their children. Our spiritual roots, biblically, go back as far as creation when the first family was established: "Be fruitful and multiply."

However, since we have "advanced" to the point where we can work as the "Joneses," buy the same toys and material trappings and live as the "Joneses," it should not be terribly surprising that we have sacrificed some of what really makes us unique as a people in order to be just like the "Joneses."

Gone are the days when most Black families were the extended- family model. Before, one would not think it strange to see a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or cousin living with the parents and children. Now, instead of accepting the extended-family approach to handling an unplanned pregnancy, often we see promoted a more self-centered attitude, routinely sending the message that abortion is the easiest and cleanest way to deal with the "problem." When we believe a certain way but act another, we find that the tragedy of abortion continues to rage about in our backyards.

It is time for us as Black Americans to stand up, speak up, and be counted for what we know and believe deep in our hearts: life is precious.

First, we must STAND UP for what is right by God's standards, not man's. We do that by admitting that abortion kills a precious life. We do that by admitting that abortion is not God's solution. Further, while the life of the unborn child is destroyed, there are also other casualties: the mother, the father, the grandparents, the siblings, and the family as a whole. For too long, we have collectively bought into the rhetoric that the unborn child is not a human being but an "it." Oh, how quickly we have forgotten that the same argument was used to justify keeping our forefathers as slaves. We were labeled as "its" that had no rights and deserved no respect or consideration.

Next, we must SPEAK UP. When history is viewed very critically, it is important to recognize that a class of people viewed as non-entities never gained full status in society through their own efforts alone. Invariably, someone in established society who cared, boldly spoke the truth - - the truth that each of us is a unique creation of God endowed with a right to life regardless of whether it is an inconvenience to someone else. It has become painstakingly apparent that too many of us have forgotten or ignored the spoken word, God's word.

Today in America, it is so rare to hear of a "pro-life Black American."

Too many Blacks are silent on this issue for fear being branded as a "sellout." Yet when you look back on our cultural roots and the important role of family in our ethnic group, it is much easier to see who the real "sellouts" are: those who want to be just like the "Joneses" at any cost.

Abortion is not a black issue or a white issue, it is a life and death issue which transcends all skin color.

Finally, we must BE COUNTED. The true test of our "advancement" as a people is whether or not we actively participate in and assist in determining the direction of our own society. Black Americans as a people should know and remember that Blacks in this country have been sustained by the power of prayer and obedience to God's word. We need to get back to basics and cut away the fluff that gives a false and hollow sense of achievement. We need to humble ourselves and ask God for forgiveness for not following Christ's example.

God commanded us to teach our children and our children's children about Him. Teaching is done through the spoken word as well as by the living example. Lessons must begin in the home, and then reinforced in the church and in society. Too many of our parents have abdicated their roles as front-line teachers, allowing secular government to have its run of things.

We then wonder why our children are having children. To counteract this, we need to encourage our religious leaders to address the issue squarely, lead the church family to pray, and develop sound biblical alternatives to abortion.

Every year there are approximately 440,000 Black American babies aborted in the United States. Did you hear that? Some 440,000 of our people become victims of what should only be viewed as cold and calculated genocide. This is over one-third of the total number of abortions performed in one year. The truth of the matter is that since 1973 nearly 12 million Black American babies have been killed by abortion. The spiritual reality of it is that until we start taking care of His "little ones," we had better be prepared to have that millstone hung around our necks.

THINK ON THESE THINGS.

PRAY ON THESE THINGS.

ACT ON THESE THINGS.

Lorna Bryan is the executive director of the National Children's Foundation, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She has served as president of Broward County Right to Life and as at-large director of Florida Right to Life.