African-American Leaders Oppose Black Pastors Backing Pro-Abortion Health Care

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Sep 28, 2009   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

African-American Leaders Oppose Black Pastors Backing Pro-Abortion Health Care

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 28
, 2009

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A coalition of African-American pro-life leaders have released a statement in response to the news that a group of black pastors endorsed the pro-abortion health care bills in Congress. They say the bills betray the black community because abortion targets black Americans moreso than other races.

As LifeNews.com reported last week, Bishop Charles E. Blake Sr., a Los Angeles minister from the Church of God in Christ, a predominantly African-American denomination, joined other pastors in backing the legislation.

The endorsement came despite analysis from pro-life groups that the bills contain massive abortion funding and subsidies — something media outlets and independent watchdog groups have confirmed.

"The black pro-life movement is outraged by the recent endorsement of this administration’s health care proposal by some clergy of the Church of God in Christ," today’s statement says in response.

"As God-fearing individuals we encourage COGIC leaders to read and evaluate the president’s plan, including the Capps-Waxman Amendment, rather than merely parroting his words," they said. "If unborn children cannot depend on the Church to carefully examine this bill to see if their lives will be protected from state-funded genocide, on whom can they depend?"

They said the endorsement does not consider abortion’s effect on the black community.

"Over 1,400 black babies each day are lynched out of their mothers’ wombs. Clearly, this rate of prenatal murder in our community outpaces death by heart disease, diabetes, cancer, HIV/AIDS and violent crime combined," they said.

"We find it troubling that this endorsement does not acknowledge the deliberate targeting of the black community by Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry, nor decry the mental and physiological impact abortion is having on black women across America," they continued.

"We recommend in the strongest terms possible that this endorsement be withdrawn until such time that the Obama administration adds language to the health care proposal that specifically prohibits taxpayer funded abortions," the black pastors concluded.

According to a Los Angeles Times news report, the Church of God in Christ pastors were careful to use language saying they agreed with Obama that abortion funds should not be in the health care bills — even though massive abortion subsidies and mandates exist.

"In accord with our commitment to Christian teaching, we wholeheartedly affirm the president’s position that medical costs related to the abortion of fetuses shall not be covered by healthcare plans funded by this initiative," Blake said at a press conference.

Signers of the new statement include Pastor Stephen E. Broden of
Fair Park Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas; Pastor Dion Evans of Chosen Vessels Christian Church in Alameda, California; Reverend Walter B. Hoye of Union City, California; and Reverend Dean Nelson of the Network of Politically Active Christians.

They also include Dr. Johnny Hunter of the black pro-life group LEARN and Dr. Levon R. Yuille, the chair of the National Black Pro Life Congress.

Last week, Dr. Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said there is nothing racist about opposing the health care plans pending in Congress because they force taxpayers to finance abortions.

“What really is racist is singling out minorities, who now receive about two-thirds of the abortions in this country, for discriminatory treatment," King explained.

"Those of us who care about the civil rights of all Americans, born and unborn, oppose Obamacare because we oppose the expansion of the most racist industry in America – the abortion industry," she said.

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