Whose Bodies Are Up for Debate

“While mainstream discourse surrounding abortion is weighing a woman’s right to choose against a fetus’s right to life, whether life begins at conception or at a number of weeks into a pregnancy, and in what instances abortion should be considered acceptable, many Black Americans are engaged in a completely separate debate regarding the issue —one focused on whether a more sinister plot is underway. Some Black folks are determined that legalizing abortion was actually a secret plot on behalf of the white-run state to commit a genocide against Black Americans. They theorize that because Black Americans have been amassing political power via the Civil Rights movement and the Black Power Movement, the ultimate goal is to eradicate the Black race from the U.S. completely. Often found in Black newspapers and magazines, this conspiracy theory was one of the primary bases on which debates about abortion were had during this time (Weisbord, 1973).”

Chapter 3 “Abortion is Black Genocide”: Controversial Conspiracy Theories in Black Magazines