Politics & Power Quote by Alveda King

Alveda King places the abortion debate at the foundation of public life, arguing that the right to be born is the precondition for every other right or policy concern. The appeal is both moral and strategic: without life, discussions about education, health care, economy, or justice become abstractions. By setting a hierarchy of rights with life at its base, she urges voters and leaders to order their priorities accordingly, treating abortion as the decisive issue in political judgment.

Her background infuses the statement with civil rights resonance. As the niece of Martin Luther King Jr. and a prominent pro-life activist, she often frames abortion as the civil rights struggle of the present era, extending the language of human dignity and protection to the unborn. The choice of the word “baby,” rather than clinical terms like “fetus,” is deliberate, seeking to humanize the subject and close the moral distance. The phrase “not allowed to be born” underscores her belief that culture and law act as gatekeepers of life, with responsibility falling on political institutions and citizens alike.

The critique of “political parties squabble” conveys impatience with partisan wrangling that, in her view, obscures first principles. It functions as a call to transcend party loyalty and adopt a single-issue clarity: if a society fails at the most basic task of protecting nascent life, policy successes elsewhere are morally hollow.

This framing is intentionally absolutist and galvanizing. It invites supporters to vote with a singular focus, while drawing sharp disagreement from those who prioritize bodily autonomy, maternal health, or broader social conditions as integral to justice. Still, the core claim is consistent: moral coherence in politics begins with safeguarding life, and until that is secured, other debates cannot fully matter.