Let’s take a moment to trace the racial trends to which Durbin alluded. Let’s see if his logic holds water. Blacks account for over a third of all abortions in the nation, though they represent 12 percent of the population. Nationally, whites account for 58% of the abortions in the nation. This means that whites and other groups abort the remaining two thirds of babies nationally. Roughly speaking, approximately 1500 black babies are aborted each day in the nation. This is compared to approximately 3,000 babies aborted each day by others.
Returning to DC statistics, the 2006 abortion numbers show that blacks decided to terminate 78% of the pregnancies ended by abortion, while only 18.2% of the abortions were performed on white fetuses instead of the 26% national proportionality equations would suggest. Many concerned Americans want to know why so many black babies die. A National Public Radio program in November 11, 2007 showed that during the decade before, Washington, DC had one of the highest rates of teen pregnancies in the nation. At the time of that report, the decadal teen pregnancy rate had dropped from 1 in 6 teenage girls pregnant in 1996, to 1 in 16 by 2007. On that program Brenda Rhodes Miller, Executive Director of the D.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, talked about progress that had been made and work still left to be done.
The DC Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in April 1999 as a result of the work of the Mayor’s Committee on Reducing Teenage Pregnancies and Out-of-Wedlock Births. The leadership of this organization is comprised of many card-carrying Democrats. This means that lowering abortion rates can be a bi-partisan effort. The Board of Directors of DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is composed of local and national community leaders who are committed to improving the lives and well being of teens. Current board members include former DC city council members and noteworthy citizens, including both ministers and secular leaders.
One can only wonder how much higher the abortion level in the District might be if there had not been a moratorium on funding abortions. DC is clearly in a precarious place concerning this issue. Other regions are taking important leadership steps that DC might follow. Arizona, for example, just passed legislation that includes guidelines for abortions: a one-day waiting period, parental notification for minors seeking abortion, and doctor's disclosure about the risks and alternatives.
All of us can make a difference in this emotionally charged debate. As citizens, we must continue to actively, boldly and compassionately work to reduce abortions. I believe it’s possible to decrease the number of abortions by 50 percent over the next ten years.
In conclusion, Durbin got it all wrong. He is supporting continuing a culture of death in the nation’s capital. We, however, must abort abortion.