Black Americans and Reproductive Rights: Attitudes Are Changing

This post was originally published on Word In Black. By: Sylvester Brown Jr. In 2022, Dr. Love Holt, at the time a reproductive freedom organizer with Pro Choice Missouri, shared a courageous commentary with the Riverfront Times, titled: “My Abortion Helped Me Escape an Abusive Marriage. “After I had my abortion, I gathered the courage to leave my abusive marriage,” Holt wrote. “I was homeless with no resources to provide (for) myself or my children…I couldn’t imagine taking a new baby through this horrific journey. I don’t know if I would have made it as a single mother of four plus a newborn.” The commentary, Holt said, didn’t go over well with Black people she knew. “I was in a stand-alone position with many in my community, turning their backs on me, shunning me,” Holt recalled, adding: “They were perplexed as to why I was supported by white people for a white cause.” African American attitudes toward abortions have always been rather nuanced. Although they overwhelmingly vote Democrat, there’s always been a stubborn streak of conservatism-especially among older Black churchgoers-that isn’t as robust among white liberal voters. For centuries, the Black church has played a crucial role in the civil...