A controversial anti-abortion billboard that went up — and was taken down — in Soho last month targeting the black community with the tag line "The Most Dangerous Place for an African-American is in the Womb" sparked debate about the city's abortion rate.
Fifty-seven percent of black pregnancies in the city end in abortion, according to 2009 data from the city's Department of Health. For white women, the number is 20 percent and for the city overall it is about 39 percent. Though the number of abortions among black women remained steady for several years, the statistic startled some within the community.
Dr. Gail Blakley, director of Women’s Health Services at Community Healthcare Network, said she believes the abortion rate among black women should be seen as another health disparity.
