There are approximately 37 million Hispanics in the U.S., now outnumbering African Americans, who number approximately 36 million.(1) For the first time in history, Hispanics now constitute the largest minority in the country. The Hispanic growth rate is five times that of non-Hispanics. While the non-Hispanic population showed a growth rate of 8% since 1980, Hispanics demonstrated a growth rate of 39%.( 2) "One in eight Americans is Hispanic"(3), and "half of all Hispanics are 26 years old. (4)" The U.S. has the highest number of Hispanics after Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Colombia and Peru, worldwide it ranks 6th largest in Hispanic population. In the past decade alone the Hispanic population of the U.S. has increased by more than 1/3. About half of this extraordinary growth is due to immigration, the other half to the high birth rate among Hispanics, who have the highest birthrate in the U.S. By 1984, the fertility rate of Hispanic women was already significantly higher than that of non-Hispanic women: 107.3 total births per Hispanic women 18 to 44 years old as compared to 65.5 total births per 1,000 non-Hispanic women respectively. One out of every ten Americans is of Hispanic origin. (5) Births to Hispanic women surpass all of those to all non-Hispanics, including blacks. (6) Population growth translates into greater economic and political empowerment.

Largely because of sterilization, birth control and abortion among mostly the white and middle class; by the 2lst century, racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. (with Hispanics leading), will outnumber whites. According to Time Magazine (April, l990), "the browning of America will alter everything in society, from politics and education to industry, values and culture."

Where Hispanics live

The ten cities with the largest Hispanic populations are :

New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Antonio, Houston, El Paso, San Diego, Miami, Dallas and San Jose.

The four states with the largest Hispanic populations are:

California with 7.7 million, Texas with 4.3 million, New York with 2.2 million, Florida with 1.6 million.(7)

Hispanics and politics

Where it concerns politics, Hispanics are a giant waiting to be awakened. According to the National Hispanic Leadership Conference, Hispanics now constitute the decisive vote in four of the most important states in the nation, which also have the highest Hispanic populations: California, Texas, New York and Florida. Hispanics could be a swing vote that affects the results of a close presidential race in several key states. All of the presidential candidates made concerted efforts during the past elections, to woo Hispanics in state primaries nationwide. In fact, Hispanics in Florida made the difference where it concerns the election of President Bush in the year 2000.

Hispanic political power is just beginning to flex its muscles. The number of Hispanic elected officials nationwide increased from 600 in 1974, to 3,700 in 1988 and it is constantly increasing, as Hispanics become politically organized and motivated by organizations like the National Association of Hispanic Elected Officials and others.

Hispanics have voted in a higher percentage than Americans in the Democratic primaries in Texas since 1980, and they represent 28% of the votes in that state as well as in California. Since the Democratic party has traditionally identified itself as the people's party, promoting health, education and housing, most Hispanics are registered Democrats, because these are the issues they are most concerned with.

In my opinion the fact that most Hispanics have not been educated and motivated where the abortion issue is concerned, accounts for the fact that so many Hispanic elected officials (especially in the Democratic Party), can take a pro-abortion stand and be re-elected. As more Hispanics get involved in the pro-life movement, that situation will change.

Hispanics are generally pro-life and Catholic

Most Hispanics have strong pro-life/family principles, as their high birthrate proves. According to the Catholic Almanac, over 80% of the 35 million Hispanics in the U.S. identify themselves as Catholics. (8) More than one third of U.S. Catholics are or Hispanic origin (9), and it is probable that in as little as 20 years, half of the nation's Catholics will be of Hispanic origen. (10) The American bishops have projected that by the year 2050, Hispanics will constitute 24% of the population and over 50% of U.S. Catholics. (This was published in Crisis magazine, september, 2001.) In Texas, Catholic Hispanics constitute a majority. It is estimated that they already outnumber non-Hispanic Catholics in a number of the dioceses nationwide, especially in the West and Southwest.

About 35 to 40% of New York Archdiocese' Catholics are Hispanic, and this is considered a conservative estimate. In Brooklyn, New York Archdiocese, there are more than half a million Hispanic Catholics, while in the Newark Archdiocese there are approximately 300,000. Boston has 175,000, Philadelphia 85,000 and Hartford, Connecticut, between 70 and 80,000. The Los Angeles Archdiocese is the largest, with 2 million Catholics of Hispanic descent, Spanish Masses are celebrated in 172 parishes. It is 60% Hispanic. (11) At the present time, Hispanics comprise 30% of the nation's Catholic churches, and according to experts by the year 2,020 they will comprise 50% or more. According to Father Mario Vizcaino, director of the South East Regional Office for Hispanics, "By the year 2050, about 85% of Catholics in the U.S. will be Hispanics." (12)

You might be surprised to know, that there are around 375 million Hispanics in this hemisphere, according to Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family. This organization broadcasts radio programs in Spanish throughout the U.S. and Latin America.

Hispanics come from a culture where remarkable family values prevail: respect for the dignity of marriage, concern for virginity, love for children, parental responsibility, reverence for the elderly, respect for the human person, and loyalty to the extended family. A major thrust of pro-life and family ministry must be the preservation of these values as a great contribution to the churches and the nation.

Hispanics are emotional family-oriented people who cling to their traditions after many years of absence from their native land. On the whole, they are religious, God fearing people. Even though many do not attend regular church services, they share a basic belief in God and respect for His Commandments. You will rarely find a Hispanic atheist!

It has been reported that proportionately Hispanic women have more abortions than non-Hispanic women. I'm sure you're now wondering why, if they are so pro-life. First of all, they are the prime target of the anti-life movement and an easy one, because they don't really know the truth about abortion. Second, Hispanics are the poorest and the least educated in the country. Their average income is below $l5,000 a year for a family of four and 30% of them are even below the poverty level.(13) Because of this, many poor Hispanic women are pressured into aborting by social workers who believe the best way to solve the problems of the poor is by killing their unborn children. Or because they are pressured by "machista" men, many of whom are abusive. There is a great need to have more Spanish speaking volunteers at the entrance to abortion clinics and crisis pregnancy centers (especially in minority neighborhoods), to reach out to Hispanic women who might not abort, if they had another alternative.

I have found that it is not too difficult to convince a Hispanic woman not to abort her child, and the lower her financial status, the easier it is. For poor Hispanic women, children are their treasure, as for most third world women.

My experience has been that those who have aborted deeply regret it, and most, when confronted with the truth, have shown great remorse and sorrow, as well as a desire to make amends for that terrible error. There is a very great need for a post- abortion ministry for Hispanic women, we can provide you with excellent materials in Spanish.

Hispanics have been targeted

Because of their high birth rate, Hispanics are a prime target for Planned Parenthood (PP), which is trying to "educate them" to the "need" for family planning and abortion. PP even printed a resource book for family life education for Latino families in the U.S, in order to "instruct" Hispanics and others on how to change the Hispanic mentality, culture and values. PP officials admit in that book, that Hispanic women's culture teaches them to accept and feel joy and pride, even in unexpected pregnancy.

There are a number of anti-life organizations working among Hispanics in the U.S. and to my knowledge, not even one large national pro-life/family organization dedicated largely to reaching out to them. Perhaps this is the reason for the contradiction that Hispanics have the highest birthrate and the highest abortion rate in the U.S.; both even higher than blacks'.(14)

Because of their high birthrate, Hispanics are a prime target for organizations like Planned Parenthood and the so-called "Catholics for a Free Choice"(CFFC), which started a "Hispanic Project" or "Latina Initiative" in l99l. CFFC was able to get the largest national Hispanic organizations in the U.S. to take a stand in favor of tax funding for abortions. Judging from my experience of 30 years of pro-life work in the U.S. I can say, that Planned Parenthood, Catholics for a Free Choice, SIECUS and other well known anti-life organizations, are more active in educating and recruiting U.S. Hispanics than most national or local pro-life organization I know of.

Even the Sex Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS) is reaching out to Hispanics. They have produced the Latino Family Life Education Project, which offers a training program to human service professionals serving latino communities across the country. The principal aim of the program is to train professionals who work with Latino families to provide, in their own words, "culturally appropriate and highly effective family life education and counseling". SIECUS officials explain that during a two day program, "participants examine and clarify their own values and attitudes towards sexuality issues". Family life educators, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers, psychologists and even clergy who are providing their services to Latino families and their children, have been trained by SIECUS. Needless to say, that this is nothing but brain washing to make Latinos accept the "value free" sex "education" and "values clarification" Planned Parenthood type of ideology, which is so foreign to their culture.

Unfortunately, many Hispanic organizations have been infiltrated by Planned Parenthood and its anti-life cohorts. National organizations like the Mexican American National Women's Association (MANA), the National Latina Health Organization and the National Conference of Puerto Rican Women have all taken a pro-abortion stand.

There are a number of anti-life organizations working among Hispanics in the U.S. (which even have Spanish sections in their website), and to my knowledge, not even one large national pro-life/family organization dedicated largely to reaching out to them. Perhaps this is the reason for the contradiction that Hispanics have the highest birthrate and the highest abortion rate in the U.S.; both even higher than blacks'.

The need to educate and motivate Hispanics

Both the pro-abortion and the pro-life movements are largely led by non-Hispanics. Many (if not most) pro-life hot lines and clinics, even in Spanish speaking areas, lack bilingual educational materials and staff. A pro-life counselor at a pregnancy center commented that pro-life organizations are dominated by non-Hispanics who exclude Latinas from decision making positions. There is much to be done in this area because Hispanics have been a neglected minority where it concerns the pro-life movement in the U.S. from its very beginning. The tremendous force for good that is within the Hispanic community has not even begun to be tapped!

There are limitless possibilities where it concerns pro-life work among Hispanics, that have not been explored by most pro-life groups or even churches. Many dioceses do not have any pro-life outreach to Hispanics, and neither do pro-life groups unfortunately. There is, however, a new Hispanic pro-life group that has emerged called "Hispanics for Life", which is starting chapters in several California counties. Its leaders have become aware of the fact that Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortionists are targeting the Hispanic population in order to try to control its growth. They realize that this is racism at its deadly worst, of the same kind that was promoted by Planned Parenthood's founder Margaret Sanger, who was concerned with the rising number of Hispanic immigrants and their high birthrate.

That racist ideology finds one of its staunchest proponents in the person of abortionist Edward Allred, who has declared: "Population control is too important to be stopped by some right-wing pro-life types...take the new influx of Hispanic immigrants...I hope I can do something to stem that tide: I'd set up a clinic in Mexico for free if I could...Maybe one in Calexico would help, the survival of our society could be at stake". Of course, Allred like all other abortionists, is making a killing in that business (literally). According to the Center for Documentation in California, in 1979 alone he made 12 million dollars doing abortions and about $3 million of it from the taxpayers through Medi-Cal. I suspect most of the victims were indigent Hispanic women and their babies, to whom no pro-life alternative was offered.

John Finn, a California pro-life leader who helped organize Hispanics for Life, points out that Hispanics in that state are just now realizing to what extent the abortion business has targeted them for "population control", and adds that "if most Hispanics in this country realize just what abortionists like Edward Allred and the founder of Planned Parenthood actually stand for --abortion as a necessary social control to keep ‘unfit races' from ‘breeding'-- there could be mass marches like this country has not seen since the early 1960's". I wholeheartedly agree.

May God bless your efforts to educate and mobilize Hispanics for life/family!