Abortion_Billboards

ABORTION BILLBOARDS Abortion Billboards Tammy Odom Colorado Technical University ENG112 Kristina Nelson March 8, 2010 The controversial issue in the headlines today deals with abortion billboards that are being put up in black neighborhoods in Atlanta, Georgia. The issue surrounding this controversy according to Osunsami (2010), the words “endangered species” are written across the face of a young black child because the message is that there are too many abortions in the black community. The message that has been received from these billboards is that black children are extinct due to abortions. The individuals being affected by these signs are black women whom find the message offensive. These women feel that the anti-abortion group can get their point across without specifically targeting the black community. The issue surrounding abortion has been ongoing for a number of years, but it is unclear how long the billboards have been put up. Due to the fact that black women feel as though they are being targeted, the possible consequences surrounding these billboards could spark racial tension between the two groups even though the group that put the signs up is also black. Also instead of the signs intended purpose of trying to raise awareness, this could also create tension in the neighborhoods. Abortion in itself is a complex issue and raises questions that are ethical, legal, and psychological. There are those whom defend the right of women to choose to have an abortion called pro-choice and those whom oppose called pro-life. According to Minderovic (2008), “Pro-life discourse often draws its strength from the Christian axiom about the sanctity of life, while pro-choice thinking proceeds from the belief that an individual has the freedom to act in her best interest.” From both sides of these groups, their emotions surrounding abortion are based on feelings and beliefs. My current take on abortion is general is that even though I do not agree with the anyone having an abortion there are situations that I cannot say that I found myself in whether or not I would have an abortion. I believe that each person is responsible for their actions and they have freewill to make a decision based off of what they think maybe the best course of action. The reason that other should embrace my course of action is because when we are faced with different situations we cannot say what we would or would not do. Again I do not support abortion but I am also not judgmental against those who chose to do so. We have been giving freewill and how we chose to use it is up the individual. The real issue surrounding the billboards is that black women feel as if they are being singled out among all other races even though statistics show that women of other nationalities have abortions that take place and no one is advertising that information. Having an abortion surrounds a choice made by that individual based off a personal choice. Because a woman decides to have an abortion does not mean that the act has to be made a public display. Information surrounding abortion can be distributed and displayed in many other forms making the public aware without causing emotional harm to those whom feel they are being targeted. References CDC, (2005). Abortion Surveillance --- United States, 2005. Retrieved on February 23, 2010, Minderovic, Z. (1998). Abortion. Retrieved on March 7, 2010, from Osunsami, S., (2010). Abortion billboards: Strong words spark debate in Atlanta’s black _ neighborhoods. _Retrieved on February 23, 2010, from http://abcnews.go.com.