Alveda King Links Abortion, Slavery
Dr. Alveda King, niece of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., spoke out powerfully in favor of life Tuesday as she compared abortion to slavery and among the worst inhumanities of our times.
"I look forward to the day when we can celebrate a holiday commemorating the end of the most devastating and dehumanizing practice since slavery, abortion," she said in a statement.
King made her remarks as part of the upcoming nationwide celebrations commemorating the official end of legalized slavery throughout the United States. The holiday, which occurs on June 19, is colloquially known as Juneteenth.
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"Juneteenth reminds us that the recognition and protection of basic human rights can take a long time, but it also reminds us that American society can change so as to honor its founding principles," King said.
"Over 150 years later, however, an entire class of Americans is still treated as nothing more than property. Babies living in their mothers' wombs are regarded by our laws as non-persons. It's a tragedy and a disgrace," King explained.
King, who has had two abortions, has spoken frequently at pro-life rallies about the traumatic, lingering effects of abortion on women and its connection to racism and injustice.
At a Black History Month rally in Washington, D.C., earlier this year, she noted the huge abortion rates that were destroying African American communities, calling abortion a "racist, genocidal act."
King also generated media attention when she spoke out in favor of life in April during the 40th anniversary commemoration event for her late uncle. At the event, she likened the fight against abortion to the historic struggle of civil rights.
"The fight against abortion is a new frontier in the civil rights movement," she told the Daily Journal.
Dr. Alveda King, a pastoral associate of Priests for Life, the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization, is a former two-term member of the Georgia House of Representatives and founder of King for America –a faith-based organization "whose purpose is to the enrich the lives of people spiritually, socially, intellectually and economically."
