I’ve been sitting with something that feels small on the surface — but heavy underneath.

I realized I have never heard a white female pastor stand in a pulpit and strongly preach against unplanned pregnancies and preach about abstinence in the way I’ve heard it emphasized in Black church spaces. I’ve never heard the same urgency. The same repetition. The same tone of warning.

But in predominantly Black churches?

It’s a recurring narrative.

“Pray against unplanned pregnancies.”
“Cover our young girls.”
“Break the cycle.”

On the surface, it sounds protective. Responsible. Even loving.

But underneath, I can’t help but ask:
Why does this message feel targeted?

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The History We Don’t Always Name

Black women in America have long been stereotyped as hypersexual, irresponsible, and overly fertile. These narratives weren’t born in church — they were born in racism.

From slavery-era myths about Black women’s bodies to modern tropes about “baby mamas” and welfare dependency, there has always been a cultural obsession with policing Black womanhood.

So when sermons repeatedly center “unplanned pregnancy” in mostly Black spaces, it can feel less like spiritual guidance and more like inherited social anxiety.

It subtly reinforces a question:

Are we being protected…
Or profiled?

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Messaging Matters

I’ve heard white church spaces talk about purity too. But often it’s framed differently:

• “Guard your heart.”
• “Honor God with your body.”
• “God’s design for marriage.”

The tone is often individual.

In Black church spaces, it can sometimes sound communal and corrective — as if we are collectively on the brink of moral failure.

That distinction matters.

Because when abstinence sermons are frequent and fear-based, they can communicate something deeper:

• That Black girls are especially at risk.
• That pregnancy is primarily a problem.
• That sexuality is dangerous before it is sacred.

And over time, that messaging doesn’t just inform behavior — it shapes identity.