*Originally published October 30, 2019.
Fresh off the release of his latest album, “Jesus Is King,” rapper Kanye West spoke out against abortion in an interview. West describes himself as a Christian and his album is heavily influenced by Gospel music. Many commentators are unsure of what to think of West’s apparent conversion to Christianity, but West minced no words when speaking out against abortion.
When asked about his controversial support for Pro-Life President Donald Trump, West responded by pointing out the history of racism in the anti-Life Democrat Party. West said, “We brainwashed out here, bro.”
He continued, “Come on, man. This is a free man talking. Democrats had us voting Democrat for food stamps for years, bro. What is you talking about? Guns in the 80s, taking the fathers out the home, Plan B, lowering our votes, making us abort our children. Thou shalt not kill.”
Anti-Life pundits are calling West’s comments “wildly inaccurate” and “outlandish.” Certainly, West does not make a robust argument for his assertions, but other people have. For example, rapper and actor Nick Cannon explained the eugenic origins of America’s largest abortion business. Cannon said in a 2017 interviewer that Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger “wanted to exterminate the negro race and that was going to use her organization that she founded to do so.”
Cannon’s comments are by no means unwarranted. Other cultural commentators have compiled evidence that Sanger’s eugenics led to a targeting of African American populations. Sadly, Sanger’s eugenic plot to destroy African American communities has come to fruition in many ways. The abortion rate among Black Americans is much higher than other groups. In fact, a black baby in New York City is more likely to be aborted than to be born.
While West refers only to the Democrat Party and not Planned Parenthood, the radical anti-Life agenda of the Democrats and America’s abortion corporation has converged in recent years. The Democrat Party now refuses to support any candidate who does not fully endorse a radical anti-Life policy at every level of government. In turn, Planned Parenthood’s political arm distributes millions of dollars to promote anti-Life candidates in national, state, and local elections.
Other anti-Life pundits have attacked West for seeming to conflate Plan B with abortion. Anti-Life writers claim that Plan B solely prevents pregnancy and is not abortifacient; however, Plan B is deceptively marketed as emergency contraception rather than an abortion pill. There is no question that Plan B can terminate a pregnancy, thus ending the Life of a preborn child.
West’s condemnation of abortion and pointing out the negative effects the abortion industry has had on the Black community in America are a marked departure from his previous statements. While West had not publicly taken a position on abortion, he sent a controversial tweet on the subject in 2011 leading many to believe he was anti-Life. Through his recent alleged conversion and continuing faith journey, perhaps West has come to recognize the truth of the Pro-Life position and had a sincere change of heart. Becoming Pro-Life in the entertainment industry, which is notoriously anti-Life, certainly does not seem like a calculated move to advance West’s career.
Regardless of how West’s Pro-Life comments affect his business prospects, he has one of the largest audiences of any entertainer in our time. Whether or not West’s comments are comprehensive and fully articulate the Pro-Life position, he is in a position to encourage millions of people to stop and consider the issue. Like the comedian Dave Chappelle who recently outraged anti-Lifers with his shocking jokes about abortion, West’s comments may spur people to consider the anti-Life status quo in the entertainment industry and start asking the hard questions about how our society continues to deny basic human rights to the preborn.