Mystery surrounds the term ‘natural family planning’ (NFP). And yet properly implemented, it is a healthier, more effective method for loving couples to embrace intimacy as they plan their future families with God’s help. Iowans for LIFE is proud to provide new Natural Family Planning resources on our website.
This blogpost provides you with a quick overview:
What is NFP? Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a science-based, natural and highly effective method that couples can use to either achieve or avoid pregnancy. It is a scientific method based on understanding the fertile and infertile phases of a woman’s menstrual cycle. Not only is it healthier, it is the ethical way to plan a family since it does not rely on artificial contraceptives, many of which act as abortifacients. (Meaning they kill the fetus)
Together, couples learn to read the signs of fertility, and then learn how to apply this knowledge through a variety of methods.
Why is NFP a pro-life cause? Plain and simple, contraception increases abortion.
Contraception gives women a false sense of security. And that false sense leads to taking greater risks. Over half the women who go into the clinic for an abortion were using some kind of contraceptive method the month they became pregnant.
According to Maggie DeWitte, the executive director of IFL, “we will not get rid of abortion until we tackle the contraceptive culture.” When it comes to the current abortion crisis we are in, contraception is “the first cause.”
Does NFP work? That’s the wrong question. NFP practitioners are open to life, where as contracepting couples are typically trying to suppress new life. As Catholic writer, Jen Fulwiler expresses it, “Both the pleasurable and procreative aspects of the sexual act are good; to intentionally sever either aspect is bad.”
Modern methods of NFP are rooted in a solid scientific understanding of the variations in fertility throughout a woman’s menstrual cycle which is key to managing pregnancy.
When learned and used consistently, these methods have been shown to be 95-99.5% effective for avoiding pregnancy(depending on the method).
And better yet, practicing NFP can also successfully aid couples who wish to achieve pregnancy.
Why not contracept? Contracepting involves profound ethical and medical considerations. Many couples don’t realize that some forms of contraception are abortifacients. In other words, they don’t just suppress fertilization, they change the endometrium, preventing implantation of the embryo, effectively killing a new human being. Medically, the World Health Organization, lists the Pill as a Group 1 cancer-causing agent. NFP is totally natural, totally safe, and ethically sound.
Iowans for LIFE is proud to present these comprehensive Natural Family Planning resources for couples interested in discovering the beauty of NFP.
[Wanna dance? Be sure to get your tickets to our upcoming summer dance under the stars on July 23rd!]
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Senate Democrats have introduced the The Women’s Health Protection Act. If passed, the law would gut just about all existing state-by-state restrictions on the books, including those laws that previously passed Supreme Court scrutiny.
The Charlotte Lozier Institute highlights the devastating impact this bill would have on abortion laws already on the books:
- Could Be Interpreted to Impose a Heightened Burden of Proof on Many if Not Most Abortion Laws Ever Enacted
- Would Trump 20-Week Laws in a Very Large Percentage of Cases
- Would Create a Special Protection in Federal Law for Sex-Discrimination Abortion
- Would Jeopardize Laws Limiting Performance of Abortions to Licensed Physicians
- Would Authorize Federal Court Attacks on Abortion Clinic Health and Safety Standards that Protect Women
- Could Have the Effect of Deterring Health and Safety Inspections of Abortion Clinics
- Would Jeopardize Limits on Late Abortions
- Would Jeopardize Prohibitions on Taxpayer-Funded Abortion—Including the Hyde Amendment—as well as Abortion Training
- Would Jeopardize Health and Safety Regulations Governing the Use of Abortion Drugs
- Would Jeopardize Health and Safety Regulations Governing the Practice of Telemedicine Abortion
- Would Jeopardize Sonogram and Fetal Heartbeat Test Requirements
- Would Jeopardize Mandatory Reflection Periods that the U.S. Supreme Court Has Upheld
- Could Be Interpreted to Trump State and Federal Conscience Protections
Even if Iowa eventually passes the Protect Life Amendment (2 more steps to go), the dishonestly named Women’s Health Protection Act would gut current laws on the book, such as our ban on 20 week abortions, and shut the door on future regulation.
This law would leave the U.S. with one of the most permissive abortion climates in the world, surpassing even that of dictatorial nations such as China and North Korea. At least China has banned sex-selective abortions.
The Hyde Amendment is in the news. President Biden calls for ending it in his new budget proposal even though he supported it throughout his many years in the Senate. Iowans for LIFE supports the Hyde Amendment because it quantifiably reduces the incidence of abortion, especially within minority populations. Let’s take a quick look:
First of all, what does the Hyde Amendment do? It bars the use of federal funds to pay for abortions. The Amendment is actually a rider to appropriation bills and must be renewed each year by Congress.
How long has it been in effect? Since 1976.
Does it work? Yes. According to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, “the best research indicates that the Hyde Amendment has saved over two million unborn children” since 1976. The American Civil Liberties Union said with the implementation of the Hyde Amendment, Medicaid abortions immediately dropped from 300,000 per year to a few thousand.
Do abortion advocates agree? Yes. The Guttmacher Institute says their own studies show that if a state does NOT fund Medicaid abortions, the abortion rate for women on Medicaid is 1.6 times that of women who aren’t. However, when states do fund Medicaid abortions, the rate increases to 4 times that of women not on Medicaid. These results are consistent with other public policy: when you subsidize something, you get more of it.
Abortion advocates claim the Hyde Amendment is discriminatory. Is this true? It is a matter of perspective. Yes, Hyde discriminates against women of color in the view of many abortion rights advocates. This is the view of Kathryn Kolbert, lawyer and co-founder of the Center for Reproductive Rights, and Julie F. Kay, a human rights attorney. Together, they authored, “Controlling Women: What We Must Do Now to Save Reproductive Freedom.” They wrote in the L.A. Times:
“A disproportionate number of those affected by the funding ban each year are women of color: Twenty-nine percent of Black women and 25% of Hispanic women of reproductive age were enrolled in Medicaid as of 2019, compared with just 15% of white women. The lack of funding uses the government’s power of the purse to put abortion out of reach for Medicaid recipients while still fully funding childbirth.”
So how can Hyde not be discriminatory? Using Ms. Kolbert’s and Kay’s numbers, you can see that a disproportionate number of Black and Hispanic babies will be saved thanks to restrictions on federally-funded abortions. Both groups have birth rates below replacement level, according to Statista. Preventing these racial groups from dying off due to abortion-driven extinction is a noble goal of any caring society that values diversity, tolerance, and inclusion.
So are you saying a Hyde Amendment ban is racist? We know that if Hyde ends, Black and Hispanic abortions will spike. The late Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, acknowledged the racist underpinnings of the abortion movement in a 2009 interview with the New York Times Magazine:
“Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of. So that Roe was going to be then set up for Medicaid funding of abortion.”
Is there any evidence to support Ginsberg’s concern that Roe v Wade was motivated at least in part by racism, to reduce “growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of”? Yes. One of the attorneys, Ron Weddington, who successfully argued Roe v Wade admitted as much in a letter he wrote to then-president Bill Clinton in 1993:
“I don’t think you are going to go very far in reforming the country until we have a better educated, healthier, wealthier population…. Start immediately to eliminate the barely educated, unhealthy and poor segment of our country [through abortion]…. There, I’ve said it. It’s what we all know is true, but we only whisper it, because as liberals who believe in individual rights, we view any program which might treat the disadvantaged differently as discriminatory, mean-spirited and…well…so Republican. Our survival depends upon our developing a population where everyone contributes. We don’t need more cannon fodder. We don’t need more parishioners. We don’t need more cheap labor. We don’t need more poor babies.”
If President Biden is successful in getting Congress to abolish the Hyde Amendment, the result is predictable: a sudden, sharp increase in the number of black and brown babies who are aborted accompanied by a faster decline in African-American and Hispanic birth rates. What could be more ‘systemically’ racist than public policy that compels white taxpayers to fund black and brown abortions?
More readers of Iowans for LIFE’s blog shared their thoughts on the placards displayed by abortion apologists that say, “Keep your Rosaries off my ovaries.
Lisa, mother of three and grandmother of one, reacted like this:
“The pro-abortion protest slogan “Keep your rosaries off my ovaries” gives an apt glimpse into the misguided mindset of abortion apologists. Disrespect for prayer and Our Lady aside, it betrays the myth that pro-life supporters and Catholics presume to impose faith and pro-life values on others when nothing could be further from the truth.
The fact is, that’s an unborn human life in a pregnant woman’s womb, and she is already a mother, whether abortion supporters choose to recognize or honor that life or not.
It is flat out false to say that “pro-lifers only care about the baby” when it’s also a fact that in the U.S. alone thousands of pregnancy help organizations assist and support countless women and families facing unplanned pregnancy with material support and more, saving communities hundreds of millions of dollars every year.
Another fact? There are consequences, temporal and eternal, for taking a life. Catholics and other pro-life advocates wish to save unborn life in the womb but also the eternal lives of all. It’s just a terrible shame that those swept up in the “choice” lie are unable or unwilling to see that. Provocative posters won’t save you from hell. We care about you, your ovaries, and every last part of you, body and soul – in the the same we care about the little girl who you may carry in your womb – who also has ovaries and a soul. “
Jeane, mother of six, and grandmother of a bunch more, said:
“When I see a sign saying “keep your rosaries off my ovaries” I feel a profound sense of sadness about the confusion in the culture among many who believe the wrong things about both the Catholic Church and the dignity of women. As the original Christian faith the Catholic Church has brought us the bible and all of its teachings from Jesus regarding the equality and dignity of women. The living Catholic Church has brought both education and healthcare to millions of girls and women all over the world for centuries. The consistent teachings of our faith regarding contraception and abortion have ONLY upheld women. This beautiful faith informs women that their fertility is not something that needs fixing or canceling. When women respect themselves men are much more likely to respect and honor the gift that a woman is.”
Another Jean, mother of 4 and grandmother of 6, had an entirely different reaction:
“One of the first things that came to mind was “Try it, you’ll like it”. The Rosary must be working for them to mention it specifically. When I pray the Rosary for the women contemplating an abortion, those who have had an abortion, and the babies aborted, I ask God and the Blessed Mother to envelop them into their loving arms and cradle them with the love only a Mother knows.
I came across this quote from Archbishop Fulton Sheen: “The Rosary is the best therapy for these distraught, unhappy, fearful, and frustrated souls, precisely because it involves the simultaneous use of three powers: the physical, the vocal, and the spiritual, and in that order.
-Archbishop Fulton Sheen
And another: “Say the Holy Rosary. Blessed be that monotony of Hail Mary’s which purifies the monotony of your sins!”
-St. Josemaria Escriva
“The Rosary is the ‘weapon’ for these times.” -Saint Padre Pio
***
Abortion apologists are misguided on so many fronts. What is the best thing you can do to help? Say a Rosary on their behalf.
[Read an earlier blogpost for more reactions. Don’t forget to get your tickets to our summer dance.]
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“According to a recent CBO report, the principal driver of slow growth since 2008 has been a sharp slowdown in the growth of the labor supply,” writes William Galston in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal about our nation’s labor shortage.
Mr. Galston once worked in the Clinton administration before joining the Wall Street Journal. Prior to that, he worked for the Walter Mondale, Al Gore, and John B. Anderson presidential campaigns, all of whom embraced and promoted abortion rights.
Mr. Galston continues:
“The distant future looks no brighter. The total fertility rate needed to maintain a stable population is about 2.1 children for every woman. In 2020 the U.S. rate dropped to 1.64, the latest in a long decline. The workforce of the 2030s and 2040s could be smaller than today’s, a prospect that other advanced economies are also facing, including China.”
Labor shortage causes
Why does the United States have a labor shortage? There are several reasons, according to demographers, economists, and politicians, but abortion is never considered as a viable reason.
Iowans for LIFE has written on how this trend affects Iowa directly. Now the trend is increasingly receiving national attention.
For example, Gretchen Livingston, writing for Pew Research, explains what she sees as the primary drivers for declining birth rates:
“Fertility – however it is defined – is influenced by a variety of demographic, social and economic factors. Among the more important contributors to fertility levels are the age composition of childbearing women (most births occur between ages 20 and 34); the share of childbearing-age women who are married (married women are more likely to give birth than unmarried women); the economic climate; and the share of childbearing age among women who are born in another country (foreign-born women have higher birthrates than U.S.-born women).”
Each is a viable contributing factor for declining fertility. But don’t you think that 62 million abortions since the Roe v Wade decision might have affected fertility rates in our country, not to mention the size of our labor force today?
Fertility rates have dropped since Roe v Wade
In 1973, the year of the Roe decision, our nation’s fertility rate was 2.029 births per woman; the number dropped to 1.779 last year. The replacement birth rate is 2.1 live births per woman.
Human abortion is certainly one factor in the decline of human capital in the U.S. How could it not be?
Pro-lifers view human abortion through the prism of human rights. We accept the revelations of science that humanity begins at the instant of fertilization, and that these unique lives are entitled to the legal protections of the 14th Amendment.
Whatever your views on abortion rights, at the very least we can agree that in light of a growing labor shortage, it is a prescription for economic decline.
[Be sure to get your tickets to our summer dance on Friday, July 23rd!]
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If you’ve ever read some of the placards on display at abortion rights rallies, you’ve bound to have seen the one that says:
“keep your rosaries off my ovaries.”
Amazon even sells T-shirts with the slogan, as you can see above.
Iowans for LIFE asked some pro-life Catholic women (a phrase which should be redundant, but sadly isn’t) for their reactions.
Maggie, a mother of 4, refutes its entire premise:
“This quote is trying to imply that religion has nothing to do with the abortion argument. Religious views can play a big part in how someone determines their belief system. But the abortion issue is much more than just a religious issue, it’s a human rights issue.
We legislate morality all the time. We say it’s wrong to rape, we say it’s wrong to murder; and in that same way we say also it is wrong to kill an unborn child in your womb.
But as a Catholic, mother of four, and a pro-life activist, the rosary is a prayerful devotion that carries great meaning for me personally. The idea that Mary, the mother of Christ, can and does intercede for me to her Son is very comforting. She is the greatest role model of what it means to be a mother, to suffer and sacrifice for your children, and follow God‘s will. So for me, I not only want Mary all over my ovaries, but every organ in my being and every part of my entire life. Mary, Queen of Heaven, pray for us!”
Alex, a working mother with 2 small children, talks about the danger such a mindset poses to one’s very soul:
“My initial reaction is how abhorrent and vile, but then I am reminded by the Holy Spirit that we are to be forgiving and compassionate. We should pray for the conversion of people who support abortion, for abortion workers, for the neutral even.
Living under the premise that this is a fantasy world and there will be no consequences to our choices and actions, that sin can simply be erased in the blink of an eye because of how we feel about something at any given moment, is dangerous for the soul.
We need to have standards to hold ourselves up to, namely those values that the church gives us, the words that Jesus spoke and was crucified for. We need to thank God that we have been given the gift of faith and pray for the conversion of those who have not yet recognized it, made all more powerful through praying the rosary to our Blessed Mother.”
Ironically, what the abortion proponents often don’t understand is that these prayers are loving, targeted towards those affected by abortion at all levels. That’s the point made by Jean, mother of 3 and grandmother of 2:
“When we pray the rosary outside of abortion facilities we are praying for:
The child within – the unique human being created at conception.
The woman who is considering abortion – that she choose life instead.
The woman who will suffer emotionally and spiritually from the loss of her child – that she knows that she will be supported, healed and forgiven.
The father of the child within – that he takes responsibility for the life that was created.
The family and friends of the child within – that they can be supportive and loving.
The abortion workers who participate directly or indirectly with taking a life – that they find honorable work in health care or their chosen field.
The many caring organizations that support life and women in crisis – that those women in crisis seek their true help.
One of the first things that came to mind was: “Try it, you’ll like it”. The Rosary must be working for them to mention it specifically. When I pray the Rosary for the women contemplating an abortion, those who have had an abortion, and the babies aborted, I ask God and the Blessed Mother to envelope them into their loving arms and cradle them with the love only a Mother knows.”
Jean quoted a few Catholic sages to underscore exactly what the Rosary is all about:
“The Rosary is the best therapy for these distraught, unhappy, fearful, and frustrated souls, precisely because it involves the simultaneous use of three powers: the physical, the vocal, and the spiritual, and in that order.”
-Archbishop Fulton Sheen
And another:
“Say the Holy Rosary. Blessed be that monotony of Hail Mary’s which purifies the monotony of your sins!”
-St. Josemaria Escriva
“The Rosary is the ‘weapon’ for these times.” -Saint Padre Pio
Amen.
Get ready for an evening of magic. Iowans for LIFE is proud to announce a summer fundraising dance at the beautiful Jasper Winery on Friday, July 23rd.
We all know how intense it is to be involved in the pro-life cause. IFL believes that is vital to our mental health to come together with like-minded people and kick up our heals!
The Jasper Winery
Pro-lifers who have fun together find themselves rejuvenated, ready to take on the culture of death with renewed focus.
Mark your calendar for the social event of the summer. You’ll enjoy live music provided by The Fabulous Rivieras, who’ll play your favorite classic rock music from the 50s and 60s.
IFL will provide appetizers, sweets and beverages.
The Jasper Winery will offer a cash bar featuring beer and wine and both indoor and tented outdoor space.
Dress casually and be sure to participate in our live auction and dance contest. It’s going to be a night to remember!
Here are the details:
DATE: Friday, July 23rd, 2021
TIME: 6:30 – 10PM
PLACE: Jasper Winery, 1450 E. 33rd Street, Des Moines 50317
TICKETS: $25 per person available online: www.IowansForLife.org.
(or mail your check to IFL, 1450 E. 33rd Street, Des Moines, IA 50317)
Get ready to bust out! Join us!
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By GABRIELLE PARKHURST
Gabrielle Parkhurst
What does being pro life mean to me? It means bringing a solution to the endless amount of black women getting abortions everyday. When I think of being pro life, I can’t stop at just making sure a woman considering an abortion has the baby and then move on. I want to make sure she is also taken care of. I often think of the phrase ‘it takes a village’ to raise a child and I truly believe that. I want to bring solutions to the table to show the woman that she does have choices other than ending the life of her child.
In the midst of the rise of Black Lives Matter, something that never sat right with me on the issue was how we can march, protest and riot over certain issues, but never discuss the number one killer of Black people in America, which is abortion.
That we defend such a racist platform as Planned Parenthood’s which, was created to slow the black population down from creating young kings and queens because we were seen as an inconvenience to the world, blows me away.
Our leaders and ancestors have fought way too hard for our freedom and for the future of our children for us to sit by and continue to watch millions of innocent lives be taken.
We need to help uplift these women and make them feel like they are more than just a statistic and to know their baby is not a burden. We need to rally in our churches and create a safe haven for those that are lost and be the light they can run to in hard times.
We do not need to shun, ridicule or judge these women in their darkest moments, but be the light at the end of their darkest time in life and show love, hope and a way to be filled with joy in knowing that her and the child will be okay.
Many people might wonder what they can do to be a part of the solution. Please consider:
Volunteering at your local pro-life ministry.
Start a pro-life ministry.
Get involved with foster care.
Become a Guardian Ad litem.
Demand more from your government officials. Beyond anything else, pray for these women and children. Be the solution and make a difference in these women’s lives so that when we discuss Black Lives Matter, we are including the unborn black lives: the biggest victim of all.
***
[Thanks to Gabrielle Parkhurst for submitting her essay to IFL as part of our Black Voices on Black Lives series. She lives in Fayetteville, North Carolina, with her husband. She is the founder of New Horizon Fellowship , which is a pro-life ministry aimed at protecting the women and children in her community.]
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By Bob Vander Plaats
Bob Vander Plaats
Abortion advocates aren’t telling you the whole truth about the proposed Protect Life Amendment to the Iowa state Constitution.
In their efforts to malign the Protect Life Amendment, abortion activists conveniently leave out the most important details: why the amendment is needed, and what can happen right here in Iowa if voters don’t pass it.
Abortion activists don’t tell you that without the Protect Life Amendment, the precedent is already in place for future courts to force third-trimester abortion on Iowa, all the way up to the day of a baby’s birth.
They don’t tell you that, without the Protect Life Amendment, Iowa taxpayers will almost certainly be forced to pay for abortions.
And they don’t tell you that, thanks to a group of radical, unelected judges taking it upon themselves to rewrite the Iowa Constitution without even a peep from the people, we are already living — in terms of judicial precedent — in one of the most extremist, pro-abortion states in the country.
Abortion activists — and their friends in the media — tend to leave that part of the story out.
What’s also left out is that Iowa’s prolifers never planned for this amendment, but rather were pushed into it by radical, pro-abortion judges in 2018.
Judicial overreach
Three years ago, five justices on the Iowa Supreme Court, in Planned Parenthood v. Reynolds, openly admitted they were ignoring the intended meaning of our state constitution, relying instead on their own read of society’s “evolving standards,” to invent a new “right” to abortion that could be limited only under the strictest standard of the law.
This strict-standard ruling went way, way beyond Roe v. Wade. Iowa’s five, unelected judges pronounced a precedent so extreme that it could effectively cancel every abortion restriction Iowa has ever passed or ever could. And even if Roe v. Wade were overturned, it wouldn’t overturn the 2018 ruling — Iowa could keep right on being radically pro-abortion.
No Iowan voted for this (except for five radical justices). No legislator ever got a say. And two dissenting supreme court justices blasted the ruling, saying it “ignores the text” of the Iowa Constitution and “forgoes accepted methods of constitutional interpretation.”
Five men in robes said they and they alone get to make abortion law in Iowa, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Nothing that is, except pass a constitutional amendment to correct their overreach.
‘We the People’
That is exactly what America’s founders intended. When courts overstep their bounds in interpreting the Constitution, We the People can amend the Constitution to correct them.
And that’s what the Protect Life Amendment actually does. It restores the original meaning of the Iowa Constitution and gives back to the people of Iowa the right to discuss, debate, and determine reasonable limits on abortion.
It’s possible that if the Protect Life Amendment passes, future Iowans may pass laws further limiting abortion. Or not. Iowa is not Tennessee. And even though Tennessee passed a form of Protect Life Amendment (like Louisiana, Alabama, West Virginia, and Rhode Island have also done) and then passed additional limits on abortion, Iowa doesn’t have to follow Tennessee’s path.
But without the Protect Life Amendment, Iowans don’t get to choose our path.
If you’re OK with that kind of pro-abortion extremism, and if you’re OK with judges ruling Iowa instead of the voters, then strike down the Protect Life Amendment.
But I question if you’re OK with unborn children being snuffed out minutes before their first breath. I doubt Iowans support their tax dollars paying for elective abortions. And I don’t think you’re really OK with radical judges taking away our vote and voice.
So I ask you instead to join Iowa voters in restoring our constitutional form of government — and resuming the needed discussion over when a baby’s life begins — by encouraging your legislators to pass House Joint Resolution 5, the Protect Life Amendment.
[Bob Vander Plaats is president and CEO of The FAMiLY Leader, an Iowa based pro-life organization and Christian ministry. IFL thanks them for permission to publish this essay on our blog.]
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Margaret Sanger is a feminist icon and founder of Planned Parenthood. Upon accepting Planned Parenthood’s Margaret Sanger Award, Hillary Clinton waxed eloquent on Ms. Sanger:
“Now, I have to tell you that it was a great privilege when I was told that I would receive this award. I admire Margaret Sanger enormously, her courage, her tenacity, her vision … And when I think about what she did all those years ago in Brooklyn, taking on archetypes, taking on attitudes and accusations flowing from all directions, I am really in awe of her.”
Former president, Barack Obama, was even more magniloquent when he accepted the prestigious award:
“In 1966, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America gave its first Margaret Sanger Award to Martin Luther King, Jr. And in his acceptance speech, which was delivered by his strong and wonderful wife, Coretta, Dr. King wrote, “Our sure beginning in the struggle for equality by non-violent, direct action may not have been so resolute without the tradition established by Margaret Sanger and people like her.
That struggle for equality is not over and now we are at one of those rare moments where we can actually transform our politics in a fundamental way. But it’s going to take people as resolute as Mrs. Sanger and Dr. King—people like your own Cecile Richards—it’s going to take young people like Ariana. It’s going to take millions of voices coming together to insist that it’s not enough just to stand still. That it’s not enough to safeguard the gains of the past—that it is time to be resolute and time to march forward.”
Sanger’s racist underpinnings
And indeed, Planned Parenthood is marching forward in reaction to the volatile racial climate that defines our age. In an April 17th New York Times op-ed, current Planned Parenthood president, Alexis McGill Johnson, finally acknowledged the racist underpinnings of Sanger’s creed, something the pro-life community has known for a long time. Ms. Johnson wrote:
“Up until now, Planned Parenthood has failed to own the impact of our founder’s actions. We have defended Sanger as a protector of bodily autonomy and self-determination, while excusing her association with white supremacist groups and eugenics as an unfortunate “product of her time.” Until recently, we have hidden behind the assertion that her beliefs were the norm for people of her class and era, always being sure to name her work alongside that of W.E.B. Dubois and other Black freedom fighters. But the facts are complicated.”
An influential American
Indeed they are complicated if you’re an abortion behemoth, and your founder has enjoyed fawning cultural adoration since she burst onto the scene a century ago. Time Magazine named her one of the 20 most influential Americans of all-time, as but one example of her lofty status among the elite.
But with the public repudiation by the current Planned Parenthood CEO, Margaret Sanger’s fall from grace is complete.
What is particularly complicating for Planned Parenthood, though, is Sanger’s rejection of abortion as the cornerstone of women’s liberation, a procedure she unequivocally denounced:
“… while there are cases where even the law recognizes an abortion as justifiable if recommended by a physician, I assert that the hundreds of thousands of abortions performed in America each year are a disgrace to civilization.”
What is even more complicating for Planned Parenthood is the disproportionate impact human abortion has had on the African-American community.
In the city where she founded Planned Parenthood, New York, black women are more likely to have an abortion than give birth. Nationally, Blacks represent 12% of the population but 36% of all abortions. According to the Guttmacher Institute, Planned Parenthood’s research arm, three out of four abortions are performed on women who are poor.
Planned Parenthood is unperturbed by these outcomes.
They cherry-pick Sanger’s legacy to suit their bottom line.
A Clash of Creeds
Iowans for LIFE produced a theater piece called “A Clash of Creeds” which dramatized the philosophical underpinnings of three diverse women of the 20th century: Margaret Sanger, Ayn Rand, and St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta. The piece used their own words. You can watch it in its entirety here.
In the exchange above with the G.K Chesterton character, you get a good sense of just how repugnant Sanger’s embrace of eugenics really was. It’s about time Planned Parenthood acknowledged it.
The next step? It is time for the abortion giant to acknowledge that the 7.6 million abortions that they’ve performed since the Roe v Wade decision “are a disgrace to civilization.”