A Planned Parenthood Affiliate in NYC to Remove Margaret Sanger’s Name from Building

Why did a chapter of Planned Parenthood suddenly disavow founder Margaret Sanger?

Pro-lifers have called for the abortion giant to disavow Sanger (and stop killing the unborn) for years, reminding the organization that Sanger spoke to the Ku Klux Klan about her eugenics program. She wanted to reduce birth rates among minorities and called on black pastors to help her.

The New York Times reported that Planned Parenthood of Greater New York will remove Sanger’s name from its clinic in Manhattan because of her connection to the eugenics movement. An excerpt:

“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,” Karen Seltzer, the chair of the New York affiliate’s board, said in a statement.
…
The actions thrust Ms. Sanger onto a growing list of historical figures whose legacies are being re-evaluated amid both widespread protests against systemic racism and a pandemic that has exposed racial and economic inequalities in health care services.

The national organization said in a statement that it supported the chapter’s decision.

Will the Smithsonian follow suit and disavow Sanger? A bust of Sanger is on display at the National Portrait Gallery as part of a “Struggle for Justice” exhibit. Five years ago, Star Parker, founder and president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education, along with a group of pastors, called for the Smithsonian to remove the bust.

In a letter to the Smithsonian, the group wrote that Sanger was no hero for justice. She had “an elitist attitude toward those she regarded as ‘the feeble minded;’ speaking at rallies of Ku Klux Klan women; and [communicating] with Hitler sympathizers. Also, the notorious ‘Negro Project’ which sought to limit, if not eliminate, black births, was her brainchild.”

The Smithsonian rejected the request to remove the bust, contending that the institution tries to “draw attention to those who have made a significant impact on American history and culture, and that includes both the accomplished and reprehensible. We recognize Sanger’s advocacy on behalf of women’s health and education whilst acknowledging her sometimes deplorable beliefs.”

Would the Smithsonian’s answer be the same if the group made the request now, in light of the Black Lives Matter anti-police protests and riots?

Star Parker and the pastors also urged the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to support their call to remove the bust. Star said that if “black lives” truly mattered to the CBC and other black liberals, they’d be at the front of pro-life protests.

But they are not. Leftists, tearing down statues and trying to erase the country’s history, are at the front of pro-life protests only when a white police officer kills a black person (intentionally or unintentionally). Perhaps the Congressional Black Caucus will reject Sanger now that it’s politically expedient to do so.