Rapper Kanye West’s announcement that he intends to run for president in this upcoming election cycle is not the only statement that has launched him into the public eye again. Since his recent conversion to Christianity, West has spoken out against abortion in several interviews. While it remains to be seen if this change in attitude is permanent, West’s newfound pro-life values are a welcome relief from what the “Gold Digger” star has said about abortion in the past.
“Gold diggin’ bi—-es be getting pregnant on purpose…”
Back in 2013, West’s “Yeezus” album included a song called “Blood on the Leaves,” which glorified aborting babies conceived out of wedlock. Prior to this, West complained on Twitter in 2011 that abortion was too expensive, and that women were purposefully getting pregnant in order to trick their rich partners into staying with them.
Oddly enough, these comments did not inspire the same level of vitriol from Planned Parenthood and abortion-choice advocates that West is currently receiving. West’s previous statements on abortion implied it existed as a luxurious tool for men who did not want the inconvenience of supporting their child. Now that West has continued to affirm his pro-life stance and voice opposition to the impact of abortion on the black community, suddenly, these pro-choice groups have taken offense.
West has not backed down despite the criticism he’s facing, and everything he has said about abortion so far has been correct. Even if West were to reverse his pro-life position suddenly, abortion would still be prima facie wrong, as it intentionally kills an innocent being. The humanity of preborn children cannot be denied, and no matter his past, West has contributed to bringing the conversation of abortion into the public sphere.
“I am pro-life because I’m following the word of the [B]ible.”
It seems West’s decision to commit himself to Christianity has led to a change of heart about abortion. In a recent interview with Forbes, West said that his faith had inspired him to become pro-life. While opposition to abortion is not limited to a religious perspective, pro-life values align perfectly with a Christian worldview.
If West’s opinion truly has evolved due to his conversion, then perhaps he’s seen that the pro-life argument is the only view that offers a consistent answer about human equality. According to pro-lifers, humans are intrinsically valuable, and our value is derived from what we are, and not on what we can do. It becomes very difficult to craft a solid foundation for human equality if those in favor of abortion reject the premise of the pro-life claim.
“What you talking about? Guns in the 80s, taking the fathers out of the home, Plan B, lowering our votes, making us abort our children. Thou shall not kill…”
West made bold declarations against abortion in an interview discussing his “Jesus is King” album back in 2019. His critique of emergency contraception and Democratic policies quickly sparked controversy. Groups like Foundation Consumer Healthcare, the pharmaceutical company that dispenses Plan B, assumed West was likening their product to the abortion pill (RU-486), and they rushed to defend it.
Their assertion that Plan B only helps “prevent pregnancy” by “delaying ovulation” is misleading.
Plan B may not work the same way as RU-486, but if West was implying that it could act as an abortifacient, he was correct. The box promises that Plan B “will not harm an existing pregnancy,” but it will “prevent […] attachment of a fertilized egg to the uterus.” The introduction of birth control in 1965 led the American College of OBGYNS to say pregnancy began at implantation despite the scientific evidence that life begins at fertilization.
A representative from Planned Parenthood told TMZ that West was attempting to “shame” Black women through “misinformation.” The Planned Parenthood employee went on to say that women of color deserve access to “reproductive health care,” but how does lying to women about the science of conception offer them support? This also fails to address West’s claim about being forced to “abort our children.”
The response from the Planned Parenthood staffer begs the question, as it assumes Black women need birth control and abortion to have equality. It does not refute the position West laid out, which means his pro-life argument stands.
“Planned Parenthoods have been placed inside cities by white supremacists to do the Devil’s work.”
Planned Parenthood accused West of “Stigmatizing Black people” for their bodily autonomy decisions by making this comment. It’s hard to see this statement as anything other than a deflection, especially because a majority of Planned Parenthood’s abortion facilities are strategically placed in Black neighborhoods.
Stigmatizing Black people by suggesting that they are unable to make their own decisions about their bodies, families, and lives isn't new, nor is it a coincidence – it's a ploy pulled directly from the anti-abortion playbook.
— Planned Parenthood (@PPFA) July 8, 2020
The abortion vendor’s founder, Margaret Sanger, believed “unfit” individuals should be forcibly sterilized, and she had close ties to Lothrop Stoddard, a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Sanger was also a known eugenicist, a fact that does little to disprove the idea that Planned Parenthood was founded on white supremacy.
Recently, Laura McQuade, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, was accused of racism by multiple coworkers. The incident prompted even the Planned Parenthood Federation of America to admit the corporation must “reckon publicly with [its] own racist history.” Such an admission means West’s remarks were hardly inaccurate.
“These souls deserve to live.”
West has since deleted this tweet, but the rapper attracted negative attention from pro-choice advocates after posting a picture of a preborn baby at six months gestation. Supporters of legalized abortion mocked West for thinking abortions happen this far into a woman’s pregnancy. A Director of Black Leadership and Engagement at Planned Parenthood Federation of America went as far as accusing West of “infantilizing” Black women.
Just how much did West get right about post-viability abortions?
About 10,000 late-term abortions are committed every year in this country. If you combine that number with second-trimester abortions done yearly in the United States, 100,000 late-term abortions are done every year in this country. Contrary to popular belief, abortions done beyond the point of viability are not done because the mother’s life is in danger.
Since the evidence heavily suggests the majority of late-term abortions are done for social reasons, West has made another valid point. The United States is one of only seven nations in the world with laws permitting abortions past 20 weeks, and appearing on that shortlist are countries such as China and North Korea.
Can Kanye West’s evolution on abortion inspire others to become pro-life?
