Abortion in the 'hood

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Abortion in the 'hood

By Michaela L. Duckett – August 18, 2011

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Good morning! The weatherman says today will be mostly sunny with the possibility of a stray afternoon thunderstorm. We’ll see a high around 88° and winds will be light and variable.

The weekend is almost here. What are your plans? If you haven’t made any yet, be sure to check out Toni’s picks in her weekly column “On the Town with Toni.” This week she's heading to an all-you-can-eat crayfish buffet!

Here’s what’s brewing in the news:

Abortion in the Hood

A group of activists say that black leaders need to pay more attention to abortion rates in the black community. Earlier this week the group unveiled billboards in Atlanta that depict images of key African-American leaders and political figures alongside the word “Betrayed!” written in red.

Pro-lifer Catherine Davis, founder of the Restoration Project, says the campaign was launched by her organization in part to bring attention to the pro-abortion views of many African-American leaders that she says have turned a blind eye betraying their own people for personal or political gain.

"Something is wrong," Davis told Minority News, "when those elected to protect the interests of their constituents turn a blind eye to the horrific impact that abortion is wreaking on the black community. In New York City, for every 1,000 black babies born alive, 1,489 are aborted. In Washington, D.C. for every 100 black babies born alive, 165 are aborted! Something is wrong!"

The Restoration Project advocates for public policies and works to inform, educate and activate concerned citizens on the impact of America’s public policy and culture on black life and families.

The group is also taking on Planned Parenthood claiming the organization uses abortion as a means of population control and targets African-American women and teens to prevent births in the black community.

Star Parker from CURE (another group involved in the movement) urges that we to look at the facts: "When you look at the data on what is occurring in our urban communities, you find that one out of every two and a half pregnancies is being terminated. It is imperative that our leaders examine what we know is the targeting of black women and children. We don't need to wait until it is too late like we did with the Tuskegee study, later looking back to ask why somebody didn't do something," she told Minority News.

Watch this video from Abortioninthehood.com and share your comments in the section below.

QUESTION: Do you think black leaders should take a stand on abortion? Do you see it as a problem for African-American community?
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Giving birth linked to cancer in blacks

Black women are more susceptible to developing hormone receptor-negative breast cancer, one of the most difficult types of breast cancers to treat, but researchers say they can lower their risk by breastfeeding. The study, which followed 59,000 black women since 1995, found that they are more likely to have had a greater number of full-term births and less likely to have breast fed their babies. Scientists say the study showed a clear link between the hormone receptor-negative breast cancer and giving birth without breastfeeding. (Read more)
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UK: 400k children in Somalia will die without aid

More than 12 million people are in need of food in drought-stricken East African, the region that includes Somalia. Britain is giving UNICEF $41 million in aid, enough to provide 200,000 people with food for two months and measles vaccinations for 800,000 children. But a British government minister says up to 400,000 Somali children will die of starvation unless more urgent action is taken. (Read more)