After years of hailing her as a hero, Planned Parenthood has decided to attempt to distance themselves from their founder, Margaret Sanger. Throughout her life, Sanger made it no secret that she was a firm believer in eugenics, arguing for the forced sterilization of the “unfit” and called her work the “greatest step toward race betterment.” She included a white supremacist on her board of directors, spoke at an event for a women’s branch of the Ku Klux Klan, and used her work to target minority communities, opening her first birth control center in an immigrant neighborhood in Brooklyn, and the second in Harlem. After decades of glossing over their racist and eugenics-based origins, Planned Parenthood announced on Tuesday that they would be removing Margaret Sanger’s name from their New York building and would be working with the city council to remove her name from Margaret Sanger Square. In an official statement, Karen Seltzer, the Board Chair at Planned Parenthood of Greater New York said,
The removal of Margaret Sanger’s name from our building is both a necessary and overdue step to reckon with our legacy and acknowledge Planned Parenthood’s contributions to historical reproductive harm within communities of color. Margaret Sanger’s concerns and advocacy for reproductive health have been clearly documented, but so too has her racist legacy. There is overwhelming evidence for Sanger’s deep belief in eugenic ideology, which runs completely counter to our values at PPGNY. Removing her name is an important step toward representing who we are as an organization and who we serve.
Planned Parenthood’s attempt to distance themselves from Sanger’s racism and eugenics is half-hearted and hypocritical at best. Following in the footsteps of their founder, the abortion giant continues to target minority communities and kills an estimated 247 black babies every day, and Live Action News has pointed out that 38% of reported abortions are committed on black women, while black Americans make up 12% of the U.S. population.
In addition to targeting racial minorities, the abortion industry also targets babies with disabilities, with an estimated 30% of babies in the U.S. who have been diagnosed with Downs Syndrome being aborted.
Planned Parenthood has also actively opposed prenatal non-discrimination legislation, which would prevent abortions performed on the basis of race, sex, or disability. They may claim to be concerned about their eugenics-based founding, but it’s hard to believe they are even remotely sincere when refuse to condemn, and continue to practice, modern-day eugenics.
Margaret Sanger refused to see that every human life is precious. Instead, she deemed some lives more worthy than others and sought to eliminate the “unfit,” using race, class, and ability to determine who was “fit” or “unfit.” It is disgusting that a movement would hail her as a hero for as long as they have, but it is even more appalling that they carry on her work. Until they stop performing abortions, Planned Parenthood will continue to carry on Margaret Sanger’s horrifying legacy. They may remove her name from their buildings and attempt to distance themselves from her, but as long as they continue her murderous work, they still have blood on their hands. If Planned Parenthood was serious about their rejection of Margaret Sanger’s views, they would close their doors for good.
