One year ago, Students for Life of America (SFLA) alongside our friends at the Frederick Douglass Foundation arrived outside the Washington, D.C. Planned Parenthood abortion facility in the wee hours of the morning to paint a simple message on the street: Black Preborn Lives Matter. Other activism groups, including Black Lives Matter (BLM), had carried out similar street painting successfully in the district just weeks prior. In fact, BLM's "Defund the Police" painting was even christened by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Yet, when pro-lifers went through all appropriate channels to obtain permission and even agreed to use temporary paint, Mayor Bowser sent six police cars to head them off and ensure the free speech was suppressed. But it didn't end there. Two students, in lieu of the planned street painting, opted to settle for sidewalk chalking the message instead. And they were promptly arrested by D.C. police.
One year later, the two students still have not had their day in court. After multiple delays, the criminal case is gathering dust. Simultaneously, Students for Life of America and the Frederick Douglass Foundation filed a federal lawsuit against Washington, D.C. for free speech violations and that case also remains up in the air.
Elissa Graves, legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom in the case, noted, "Washington D.C. discriminated against pro-life speech by allowing some voices to be heard, while censoring Students for Life of America and Frederick Douglass Foundation. The city showed clear hostility towards those expressing a life-affirming message. The right to free speech is for everyone – not just those in power."
Unfortunately, the sluggishness of the legal system is not the only lack of change over the last year. The call to action that drew the pro-life groups to D.C. in August of last year remains completely intact - the abortion industry was founded by a racist and their racism continues today.
Black lives do matter – and preborn ones are included. But this message completely contradicts Planned Parenthood's history, given that the abortion vendor was founded by known racist and eugenicist Margaret Sanger. Sanger spoke at Ku Klux Klan rallies, published her racist and eugenic ideas in books and articles, and pushed birth control as a means of eliminating "inferior races." In fact, her partner in crime was Lothrop Stoddard, a true white supremacist who focused his energy on the dangers posed by “colored” people to “civilization.” His work directly influenced the Nazis and their WWII-era genocide.
Planned Parenthood now acknowledges Sanger's “issues” while trying to whitewash Sanger’s misdeeds, but the facts remain that their current business model is as much a problem as their history. Almost 80% of Planned Parenthood’s abortion facilities are located in minority neighborhoods. A vast majority, 88%, of its new “mega facilities” are located within walking distance of minority neighborhoods. About 13% of American women are Black, but they submit to over 38% of the abortions. And it’s estimated that 19 million Black babies have been killed by abortion since its legalization… meaning that abortion has reduced the Black population in America by over 25%. No matter how much effort Planned Parenthood puts into reframing Sanger, there’s no denying they’re carrying out her mission to this day.
In the summer of 2020, over 546 Planned Parenthood staff and supporters put forth an open letter calling for the immediate removal of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York CEO Laura McQuade. In this so-called “worker uprising,” complaints against McQuade ranged from abusive behavior and financial mismanagement to racism and failure to properly respond to COVID-19. A group of non-white Planned Parenthood employees associated with the letter also noted, “At this point, PPGNY’s attempts to present itself as a diverse workplace have been carefully orchestrated and superficial at best. […] White and non-Black employees are still given more pay and more advancement opportunities than their Black colleagues.”
This reality begs the question… why is Margaret Sanger still being featured in places of honor?