Jesse Jackson R.I.P.
Life is messy. The lure of power is a terrible temptation to one’s convictions. Civil rights leader and former presidential candidate, Reverend Jesse Jackson died earlier today at the age of eighty-four.
Mr. Jackson was a wonderful spokesperson for the unborn early in his career, an especially admirable position in light of the genocide abortion has wrought on the African-American community. He pulled no punches in this 1973 interview in Jet Magazine:
“Abortion is genocide. If people use preventive measures to stop the life process from originating, I can buy that…But if they get carried enough away to set the baby in process, they must get carried enough away to accept the responsibility of the baby. And I don’t want to hear this bit about babies not really living until the baby has a face and the doctor smacks it and it cries. Anything growing is living…If you got the thrill to set the baby in motion and you don’t have the will to protect it, you’re dishonest…But you don’t try to stop reproducing and procreating human life at its best. For who knows the cure for cancer won’t come out of some mind of some Black child?”
Population control
Like many in the black community, Jackson was suspicious of some in the anti-life movement who promoted abortion for population control reasons. In 1977, Jackson observed,
“Politicians argue for abortion largely because they do not want to spend the necessary money to feed, clothe and educate more people.”
Sadly, Jackson’s views on abortion ‘evolved’ by the time he ran for president in 1984. The Baptist minister, Jackson, adopted a view espoused by the Catholic New York Governor, Mario Cuomo, that although he was personally opposed to abortion, he couldn’t support public policy that banned it.
Scandal
At the time of his death, Reverend Jackson had been married for 62 years to Jacqueline Brown Jackson, with whom he had six children.
In 2001, Reverend Jackson fathered a child with a staffer. The scandal cost him a lucrative gig with CNN, who cancelled his show, “Both Sides with Jesse Jackson.” To his credit, Jackson didn’t compound the moral offense and take the easy way out by paying for an abortion.
The Terry Schiavo case
Jackson interceded in the Terry Schiavo case in 2005. If you’re not familiar with what happened, Ms. Schiavo suffered cardiac arrest at the age of 26, incurring brain damage. Fifteen years later, her husband called for her feeding tube to be removed, which would slowly starve her to death.
Her parents and brother unsuccessfully tried to block this life-ending action. Jesse Jackson offered his support to the family, as Terry’s brother, Bobby Schindler (who spoke at a Pulse Life Advocates banquet years ago) recounted earlier today:
“During the final days of my sister Terri Schiavo in March 2005, Rev. Jackson joined our family at the hospice facility in Pinellas Park, Florida, to offer his prayers and support.
At a time of deep sorrow and intense national attention, his presence brought encouragement and reminded us – and the country – that Terri’s life had inherent dignity and worth. He also reached out to Jeb Bush, who was the Governor of Florida at the time, urging him to intervene and stop what was happening to Terri.
Rev. Jackson stood publicly with our family during Terri’s unjust and inhumane death. We remain grateful for his compassion, courage, and willingness to stand with us during those painful two weeks. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and to all who mourn his passing.”
Jesse Jackson’s political prescriptions didn’t win him many friends with conservatives. His legacy on Life issues was inconsistent, but a far cry those on the hard Left today. His was a messy life with ups and downs, like the rest of us with a career that offers much food-for-thought in this Black History Month.
Rest in peace, Jesse Jackson.
