Catholics Must Ask: Does Black Lives Matter Support Abortion Rights?

Racism is a serious moral issue. Catholicism is a religion of many nations, many people, many colors. When we go to Mass, we see every nationality and people from many backgrounds, which in theory should lead us to love each other based on the teachings of our Lord Jesus.

There are problems in our nation. Recently there have been many protests based on the issue of racial profiling of Black Americans by some police officers. It is something we must work to address. How to achieve a better world without hate is much debated, and as Catholics we know it must be rooted in Christ, and His teachings. We must acknowledge that Catholics have a moral duty to protect the rights granted to human beings by God's Divine gifts starting with the freedom to live. Abortion takes away this gift.

Many people want to work to end racism. How? One avenue which needs to be examined is the push by Black Lives Matter to be the main voice for Black Americans. But what does BLM believe?

From their website:

“We are guided by the fact that all Black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeleifs, immigration status, or location.

We make space for transgender brothers and sisters to participate and lead.

We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered.

We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.

We foster a queer-affirming network.

Source

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But what about their position about abortion, a vital issue for Catholics in particular?

This is harder to uncover. I found a few articles, and it is hard to pin down their exact position. I found this in Breitbart News:

“Cecile Richards, the former CEO of abortion chain Planned Parenthood, and Alicia Garza, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, are partnering with Ai-jen Poo, director of National Domestic Workers Alliance. The women say one of the priorities of their group, dubbed Supermajority, is to create a “women’s New Deal for gender equality.”

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/04/29/planned-parenthood-and-black-lives-matter-leaders-partner-for-womens-new-deal-movement-ahead-of-2020/

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This article indicates that the leaders of abortion rights and Black Lives Matter are coordinating political resources to advance their agendas.

But does this mean BLM supports abortion-on-demand?

After much searching, I found this quote from this source:

https://blacklivesmatter.com/responsestate-of-the-union/

“We deserve and thus we demand reproductive justice that gives us autonomy over our bodies and our identities while ensuring that our children and families are supported, safe, and able to thrive. We deserve and thus we demand participatory democracy that encompasess political, econonmic, cultural, spiritual, and sexual self-determination.”

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My conclusion is yes, BLM supports abortion rights.

As Catholics we have a duty to inform our consciences about what political movements we support and contribute to, and I hope this information helps Catholics know the truth about BLM.