Comments on: “Pro-Life” Mississippi Has Highest Infant Mortality Rate in the Nation

By: Zoe

Zoe — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 20:28:24 +0000

We are currently in the midst of a campaign in Charleston, South Carolina to build a family planning clinic in the African American community to give the women in the community freer access to abortions and other reproductive services. Too many women and young girls in the African American community have unwanted children because of limited access to abortions. Many of the children end up being born into poverty and living essentially miserable existences. If a 15 or 16 year old becomes pregnant they should be counseled that having an abortion would in all likelihood help improve their lives and in so doing will also help society. We should make sure that they do not buy into the guilt agenda that the right wing wants to shove in their faces. These are fetuses not human beings and if they are born what kind of life would they lead? Once they are born it is too late. The have a choice and we should help them make the right choice. We need to get to these poor young women sooner. Many of these young girls end up having multiple pregnancies and it is our opinion that if they want to have multiple abortions they should have just as easy access to have multiple abortions as their white middle class counterparts of better means. It is time to end this racism.

By: Janet

Janet — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 03:00:46 +0000

“Mississippi now has the highest infant mortality rate in the country”

What’s the difference? There just as dead if they die after birth as they are if they are aborted before they birth. The only difference I see is they are included in a different statistical database. Personally I think they should encourage abortion in this state.

By: qwe

qwe — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 16:17:15 +0000

This sort of post is so pointless. If these guys think that an abortion is as bad as a murder (crazy, but not because of anything you mention here), what they’re doing is entirely appropriate; none of your points would change this, so none are relevant.

By: car

car — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 02:11:24 +0000

I recommend they be used for clearing all the bovine feces that just keep falling from those big, ignorant mouths.
Don’t forget that they can also be used to bury all the dead babies. With 11.4 per thousand they could get their money’s worth out of the gold shovels.

By: Jasmine

Jasmine — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:02:34 +0000

I think we should send this story to every “pro life” organization. I highly doubt this will be front and center on the Operation Rescue or Concerned Women for America website

By: zuzu

zuzu — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:14:59 +0000

But not one that is borne solely by the taxpayers of Mississippi.

By: Shankar Gupta

Shankar Gupta — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:01:35 +0000

I did read the whole link–The tobacco settlement is paid by the tobacco companies (and their shareholders), which pass their costs on to their customers. It walks, talks, and acts like a tax.

By: Bina

Bina — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:46:25 +0000

Those golden shovels will be needed by the anti-choicers, yes…but not for breaking ground. I recommend they be used for clearing all the bovine feces that just keep falling from those big, ignorant mouths.

Maybe the best symbol for these guys and their so-called movement is a rake lying on the lawn, unseen until stepped on.

By: zuzu

zuzu — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:22:05 +0000

Read the whole link, Shankar.

Mississippi received funding for and launched a tobacco prevention pilot program, and the tobacco industry agreed to pay the state an initial block payment of $170 million in 1997 and annual payments thereafter.

A portion is tax, but the vast bulk is settlement money. The tobacco litigation was huge.

By: Shankar Gupta

Shankar Gupta — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 17:09:17 +0000

So it’s not like they’re relying solely on tax money to fund Medicaid.

Just a quibble, but to whom exactly do you think the cost of that tobacco settlement is going to be passed on? The full link states:

Mississippi collects $181 million in tobacco-generated revenue annually in tobacco settlement payments and tobacco taxes.

Looks a lot to me like a tax.