Teddy James
AFA Journal staff writer
January 2010 – In 1973 the Endangered Species Act was enacted by Congress to protect animals facing extinction. To date there are no fewer than 10 laws protecting more than 1,214 animals ranging from the giant panda to the Alabama red-belly turtle to the bald eagle. In fact the list includes nests and eggs of both bald and golden eagles because apparently an eagle is an eagle even before it is hatched.
Ironically, the same year, Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington represented Norma McCorvey in the U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade. This landmark case opened the door for women to legally end the lives of their defenseless unborn children. From the legalization of abortion to July 2008, approximately 50 million children have been killed. In that time, the number one provider of both surgical and chemical abortions has been Planned Parenthood (PP).
The history of Planned Parenthood
The history of PP cannot be studied without first considering the American Eugenics Society (AES). After the Civil War, many wealthy, former slave owners sought a solution to what they deemed the “Negro Problem.” The first idea was to send all former slaves back to Africa. It was termed “colonization” and was abandoned shortly after its conception. Then Francis Galton, cousin to Charles Darwin, birthed the idea and coined the term “eugenics.”
Eugenics is defined as “the science of improving a human population by controlled breeding to increase the occurrence of desirable characteristics.” In laymen’s terms this means people in power give reproduction permission to the “fit” while refusing it to the “unfit.” Out of this idea was born the AES.
The AES used “research” and legislation at state and federal levels for birth control, abortion and forced sterilization. They were so successful with forced sterilization that from 1907 to 1963, some 64,000 “unfit” were sterilized, many without giving their consent.
AES leaders soon decided they needed a front man. They needed someone whose hatred for blacks and misfits matched or rivaled their own, a person who would be willing to play the role of muscle while they played the role of mastermind. Margaret Sanger stepped forward and was quickly chosen.
She believed so strongly in eugenics that she said in 1921, “The eugenics and civilization value of birth control is becoming apparent to the enlightened and the intelligent. … [T]he campaign for birth control is not merely of eugenic value, but is practically identical in the ideal with the final aim of eugenics.”
Sanger quickly began what she designated the “Negro Project.” It was obvious that an all-out war against blacks would not be accepted by the American public. It had to be more subtle and appear to be for the benefit of society. Sanger’s project led to the American Birth Control League (ABCL). The driving concept was to diminish the birth and fertility rates of blacks to remain consistently below replacement until they were extinct. In 1929 Margaret Sanger’s reputation for racism and her well-known desire to end the lives of all blacks earned her an invitation to speak at a Ku Klux Klan meeting. After that engagement, according to her autobiography, she was asked to speak to a dozen similar groups.
To diminish the black birth rate, Sanger wasn’t focused solely on abortion. She also wanted forced sterilization. In many states, Sanger testified in cases arguing for forced sterilization of those on welfare, or those who did not fit the “norm” even into to the 1960s. Sanger believed, as many of her associates did, that those on welfare should be given a choice: accept sterilization for yourself and children or no longer receive governmental assistance.
She said, “I believe that now, immediately, there should be national sterilization for certain dysgenic types of our population who are being encouraged to breed and would die out were the government not feeding them.” She also moved for everyone to be forced to apply for a birth permit. She desired the U.S. government to decide who could have a child and who could not. If a woman became pregnant without the permit, the child would be aborted. Each permit was good for a single child.
Sanger knew her views and those of the ABCL would not be popular. She was also afraid the public would see that she wanted to stop blacks from being born. She wrote in a 1929 letter to a friend that this problem could easily be solved by using ministers. “The minister’s work is also important and also he should be trained, perhaps by the Federation, as to our ideals and the goal that we hope to reach. We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population, and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of the more rebellious members.” The ABCL then offered contests for ministers to submit their sermons. The ones most positive toward birth control, sterilization and eugenics would win. Several hundred ministers participated.
The “family friendly” spin
In the early 1940s, the Nazis’ racism and hatred were becoming widely publicized. Sanger and the AES needed to separate themselves from what the American public had deemed evil. Since Hitler’s praise of the ABCL was in print and widely publicized, the first step was to change the name. Sanger changed her organization’s name from the American Birth Control League to Planned Parenthood. Though the name was different, the goal was the same.
Leaders of PP saw a problem with abortion before its legalization. At the time white women claimed 80% of abortions. PP believed that would change if it were legalized because an illegal abortion was expensive and abortionists were difficult to find. A plan was beginning to unfold, a plan that was started before Sanger’s death in 1966.
When abortion became legal in 1973, PP immediately took a major step toward its ultimate goal. It immediately built birth control/abortion clinics in low-income and minority areas. This fell in line with the vision of founder Margaret Sanger. PP has tried in recent years to project a more family friendly image. Its Web site states that it is “dedicated to offering men, women and teens high-quality, affordable medical care.”
Because of the family friendly image they project and their well-funded political activism, PP has gotten a vast amount of support from the U.S. government. Federal support began in 1964 under the Great Society programs of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The first federal payment of $8,500 went to a PP facility in Corpus Christi, Texas. Uncle Sam has been sending special deliveries to PP ever since.
According to Jim Sedlak, president of STOPP International, a project of the American Life League, the federal government has given over $4.8 billion to PP. That number comes straight from PP documents. However, there are eight years that STOPP cannot find specific numbers for, so that amount is short eight years of government funding. Sedlak said, “With all of those years, we are probably looking at over five billion dollars.”
What can be done?
It is time to end the use of public dollars for the funding of an organization performing legal murder and genocide.
In 2010, PP will receive more than one million dollars every day from the pockets of American taxpayers. Approximately every 30 seconds since Roe v. Wade, a son or daughter has been killed. And although black women make up 12% of the population, they have 37% of abortions according to a recent Centers for Disease Control study. A black child is five times more likely to be aborted than his white counterpart. Margaret Sanger would be proud. Her organization kills more African Americans in four days that the KKK killed in 150 years. But would she be more proud of Planned Parenthood or the taxpayers who fund it? The government claims no federal money can go to fund abortions. However, every dollar the government gives frees up one dollar for PP to use directly on abortions.
The only way to stop the funding of this mass genocide company is to be vocal. Call senators and representatives to let them know that Americans are tired of the murder-for-hire business (See here for contact information.)
But also realize that PP relies on more than federal money. Many local facilities are funded by state or local taxes.
Find out if a local PP is being funded by state taxes or if your city is paying PP for “family planning.” STOPP International has a plan to stop PP at the local level. It can be found at www.stopp.org.
What Margaret Sanger once said about those on welfare is now true for her own organization; it “would die out were the government not feeding [it].” 
Pro-life Resources
▶ Life Decisions International (www.fightpp.org; 540-631-0380) brings together experts to challenge the radical agenda of PP and identify its corporate supporters.
▶ LifeNews.com (www.lifenews.org) covers news on abortion, assisted suicide and euthanasia, bioethical issues, campaign and elections, and legal and legislative issues.
▶ American Life League (www.all.org; 540-659-4171) supports pro-life concerns through activities, special projects, legislation support and information and news releases.
▶ National Right to Life (www.nrlc.org; 202-626-8800) focuses on impacting legislation to stop the abortion agenda.
