Hispanics On The Growth

[Dr. Shane]

Births to Unmarried U.S. Women Set Record

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There was a total of 4,115,590 births in the country in 2004, up from 4,089,950 in 2003.

Births to whites declined by nearly 18,000 while Hispanics were up 32,000, there was an increase of more than 8,000 in births to Asians and a rise of just 72 births among black women.

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Interesting statistics. Too bad they didn't add some information about abortion. I suspect the reason rates to whites and blacks are not increasing is because they are aborting more. Hispanics are not likely to abort because it is not accepted in their culture and many are Catholic. Moreover, many girls do not consider themselves to be a woman until they have a baby so aborting their child would prevent them from becoming a woman.

[cricket]

There is insufficient data to make that assumption. From the same website, see especially the tables provided Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Upon reading the in-depth analysis, it is easily discovered that the abortion rate among whites has steadily been decreasing over the time period given (1995-2001). Conversely, the rates among hispanics has been increasing.

Please, do not make invalid assumptions. Check your reasoning with the data. There are many other reasons that whites and blacks may be having fewer children.

[Dr. Shane]

It is true that the abortion rate among hispanics is increasing, at least in the US. That is mostly due to them becoming "americanized". It is still rare among first and second generation immerigrants, which make up a large protion of the hispanic population.

[cricket]

Without sufficient data, the reasoning behind the statement, "That [the increasing abortion rate among Hispanics] is mostly due to them becoming 'americanized' [sic]," must be considered nothing more than speculation.

Again, without supportive statistics or research, it is as ludicrous a statement as, "The abortion rate is increasing among Hispanics in the United States because legal and safe methods are finally made available." A statement which hints at the notion that Hispanics would have chosen abortion all along if only Hispanic countries would have provided them with the means.

Something that might "hit home" a little closer: perhaps the reason for such a high abortion rate in Texas is because of the poor education and communication abilities amongst Texans.

There is sufficient data to show that Texas has an unusally high abortion rate. There is not sufficient data, however, to support the cause behind the data.

[Dr. Shane]

I volunteer my time to work as political consultant for pro-life canidates that run for office in my area. The 2000 census told us that 87% of this area is hispanic. We have done a lot of polling that shows the vast majority of hispanics consider themselves pro-life. Many of our Democrats that hold local and state offices are pro-life. Our congressman hates to even have to talk about it because he is pro-choice and it is a position that only loses him votes among hispanic voters.

According to Zogby 78% of hispanics are Pro-life!

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"In this country, as is evident by the Zogby poll, we Hispanics bring our morals and our cultural abhorrence for abortion with us when we migrate," Rojas explained. "But make no mistake, we are a targeted group by those marching here on Sunday. They've even gotten some terribly misinformed Hispanics that are way out of step with the rest of us to join them."

"But the vast majority of us know what's right, we know that every child has place en nuestras casas y nuestras familias -- our homes and families," Rojas said. "We know and cherish and honor the sanctity of motherhood and of life."

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[cricket]

Knowing what is right is a totally different concept than doing what is right. For example, the greatest majority of people in America call themselves Christians; it is this same majority of people who do not always act according to their Christian beliefs.

Statistically speaking, 17.1% of all legal abortions performed in the United States in 2001 were Hispanic abortions. Clearly, this indicates that there are at least a few (145,945 Hispanic abortions performed) Hispanics who either: a) do not hold a pro-life position, or are pro-life in their belief system but act non-accordingly.

[Dr. Shane]

The stats I have seen show hispanic abortion rate to be 14.7% or 15% to make it easy. The hispanic population is 13.6 or 14% of the population. So the number of abortions they have isn't much higher than one would expect.

The black abortion rate is 33.9% or 34%. The black population is only 12.3% so we see that blacks have over twice as many abortions as one would expect, given the size of their population.

The asian abortion rate is 5.3% and they make up about 4% of the population. So, like the hispanics, the number of abortions isn't much higher than one would expect.

The white population of the US is 68% and makes up 47% of the abortions. So they have fewer abortions than one would expect.

Given this information, one wonders if the hispanic culture doesn't prevent its statistics from looking more like those of the black population. Both populations struggle with poverty. Why are hispanics growing in number of births and blacks are not? Why is the black abortion rate double that of the hispanics when they are a smaller ethnic group?

I suspect abortion is one piece of the puzzle. Another, perhaps, is the culture of family. What percentage of unmarried men that get a girl pregnant marry or take care of her? What percentage of families of unmarried girls that get preganant are willing to take care of her?

When a story is written that states the hispanic birth rate is increasing while the white rate is shinking and black rate is unmoved, one has to wonder about pregnancies that were not brought to term and the use of birth control in the different groups. Just from a look at the statistics, it looks like whites are using more birth control than any other group.

[Dr. Shane]

Just to revisit my original post:

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I suspect the reason rates to whites and blacks are not increasing is because they are aborting more.

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Seems my suspicition about whites was wrong but saddly was right concerning blacks.

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Hispanics are not likely to abort because it is not accepted in their culture and many are Catholic.

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While it seems my belief is shared by many in the Hispanic community, they are less likely to abort than blacks but more likely than whites.

So it seems the focus shifts more to birth control than abortion.

[Neil D]

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I suspect the reason rates to whites and blacks are not increasing is because they are aborting more.

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Seems my suspicition about whites was wrong but saddly was right concerning blacks.

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Oh boy...What an assumption!

How about the possiblity that these girls are becoming more educated? How about the possibility that they just don't want an abortion? Did any of those reasons show up on your states?

If not, why are you making such rediculous statements and not just reporting the facts?????

'Cuz EVERYTIME you do that, you look just ....for lack of a better word...silly! And it ruins your credibility something awful....

And that " political consultant for pro-life canidates " that you do, doesn't give your canidates that political edge that you are looking for either..

[Dr. Shane]

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What an assumption!

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A suspicition is not the same as an assumption. In this case, I have already admitted my suspiction was wrong.

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How about the possiblity that these girls are becoming more educated?

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Which girls? Black, white, hispanic or asian and how does education impact them? Does it make them more likely to use birth control?

[cricket]

Shane, the statistic of 17.1% of the abortions being performed in the United States being done by Hispanics came from the same web-site you provided initially. The statistics you've cited further in your posts do not match.

At any rate, there are certain things, like education and easier access to birth control, that will contribute to the lowering of birth rates among any race or ethnic group. Abortion does play a role as well.

One way that higher education helps control the birth rate is that women are becoming more and more educated on choosing a suitably responisble mate. Mere speculation might lead one to believe that the birth rates are lowering in these instances because women are more choosy with whom they will have intercourse. Less sex with irresponsible partners might possibly lead to less unwanted pregnancies.

Just speculating.

Oh, and another thing that higher education might help women with: learning to read and spell properly so that the birth control methods they choose are the ones right for their situations.

[Paul Beach]

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Oh, and another thing that higher education might help women with: learning to read and spell properly so that the birth control methods they choose are the ones right for their situations.

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??????????

[Dr. Shane]

Sister Wall, I believe the statistics were from different years.

I can't help but believe that culture has something to do with it. Even if educated white women are choosing better men, the low-life white guys are still having sex with someone. And even if the educated whte women are having sex with "high-quality" men, I don't suspect they are having less sex.

I suspect that all races are having sex at about the same freaquency. So if one race is having less babies, like blacks and whites, that either means they are having more abortions or using birth control more. Statistics tell us that blacks are having more abortions but whites arn't. So doesn't that mean whites are using birth control more?

[Jeannieb43]

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Margaret Gray said:

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Oh, and another thing that higher education might help women with: learning to read and spell properly so that the birth control methods they choose are the ones right for their situations.

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??????????

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Sister Gray. If you're having a problem understanding that birth control information, maybe it's because they didn't have things like that back in your day!

[just joking, of course....]

[cricket]

Shane, absolutely culture does have something to do with it! It is not the "end all, be all," however. There simply must be a clarifier in what you post.

Readily, I agree that culture plays a likely role. I agree that birth control, education, religious beliefs and abortion play likely roles. This is opinion, speculation and nothing more than reasoning based on prior life experiences.

There is simply not enough evidence in the statistics to provide adequate support that any one or all of these is a contributing factor.

It was out of ignorance, I believe, that you attributed lowering birth rates of whites and blacks to an increase in abortions among them.

A blanket statement as such is irresponsible--to say the least. If the tables were turned, it would likely be considered a statement borne of racism.

[Dr. Shane]

I don't have a problem with such statements when they are not stated as fact. I framed my statement as a "suspecion". If we smell something good as we near the kitchen, we suspect someone is cooking. Yet we are basing our suspecion on only partial evidence. That is why we ought to frame our opinions in such a way that they do not appear to be stated as fact.

[cricket]

Yet you said, "I suspect the reason..." Shane, you said you suspected it was "the" reason, not "one of many" and not "a" reason. The article you chose was "the". This word implies that there is no other possibility in your suspicions.

An example, "I suspect the reason Shane married his wife is because she is pretty." Obviously, there were many other reasons you chose to marry your wife. When there is no other wording, however, it appears to the reader that this was your only reason for marrying her.

Your initial statement, although you said it was suspicion on your part, led the reader to believe that you only suspected that whites and blacks were having less children because they were having more abortions.

You are misleading the reader then, to believe that you are so shallow that you think there is only this reason that is keeping the non-Hispanic birth rate from rising.

[bevin]

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We have done a lot of polling that shows the vast majority of hispanics consider themselves pro-life.

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This fact, true or not, does not imply anything about the abortion rate amongst Hispanics.

That rate is set by two variables, neither of which is measured above

(a) The number of pregnant Hispanic women, and

( The proportion of pregnant Hispanic women who choose to have an abortion.

90% of the Hispanic population could be pro-life, while the 10% who are women of child-bearing age could all be pro-choice and decide they want an abortion.

This would result in a 90% pro-life population aborting every pregnancy.

/Bevin

[bevin]

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I suspect that all races are having sex at about the same freaquency. So if one race is having less babies, like blacks and whites, that either means they are having more abortions or using birth control more. Statistics tell us that blacks are having more abortions but whites arn't. So doesn't that mean whites are using birth control more?

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No. It means you need to check your suspicions.

Here are some of the possible explanations for why two groups might have different pregnancy rates.

(a) They are having different amounts of sex.

( They are having different types of sex.

© They are having it at different times in the menstrual cycle

(d) They do not have the same 'hit rate'

- maybe the men wear whitey-tighties instead of boxers

- maybe there are nutritional differences

- maybe there are genetic differences

- maybe there are environmental differences

(e) They are using different birth control

Choosing between them will require more data.

My guess? Many of the above all at work.

/Bevin

[Dr. Shane]

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Your initial statement, although you said it was suspicion on your part, led the reader to believe that you only suspected that whites and blacks were having less children because they were having more abortions.

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And that would have been right on the part of the reader. That was my suspicion. It was wrong, at least as far as whites are cocerned, but nonetheless was what I suspected.

[cricket]

I'm glad, then, that we looked into your suspicion further. It is always good to examine the facts and to separate fact from "suspicion".

Thank you, Shane.