Sunday, October 16, is the one-hundred-year anniversary of the organization founded by Margaret Sanger, which would become known as Planned Parenthood. Sanger, a eugenicist, wrote in the New York Times in 1923 that her goal was the “release and cultivation of the better elements in our society and the gradual suppression, elimination and eventual extinction of defective stock — those human weeds which threaten the blossoming of the finest flowers of American civilization.”
Planned Parenthood’s centenary coincides with an election to decide whether one of Sanger’s most devoted followers will be president of the United States.
{mosads}Hillary Clinton received Planned Parenthood’s Margaret Sanger award in 2009, and in accepting she expressed profound admiration for Sanger, saying, “I am really in awe of her and there are a lot of lessons we can learn from her life.” Clinton has learned those lessons well. Her labeling of up to one-half of the American people as “irredeemable” and “deplorable” echoes her hero Sanger’s dismissal of “human weeds” and “defective stock” in need of extirpation. Clinton, speaking in 2015, made clear that she believes “deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed” in order to achieve her vision of America’s future.
That vision includes abortion as a “fundamental human right.”
In April, Clinton expressed support for abortion on demand at any point in pregnancy, for any reason. Asked to clarify her position, she affirmed her belief in legal abortion even on a baby’s due date, claiming such children have no constitutional rights. That means Clinton supports partial-birth abortion, sex-selection abortion, abortion for unborn babies diagnosed with genetic diseases, and opposes protections for infants born alive after a “failed” abortion. If elected, she promises to repeal the Hyde Amendment which for decades has banned the use of taxpayer funds to pay for most abortions.
Clinton, as Sanger’s heir, earned Planned Parenthood’s endorsement in her campaign, and it’s no wonder.
Like Clinton, Planned Parenthood has not met a problem that it didn’t believe could be remedied by abortion.
For instance, Planned Parenthood’s response to the Zika virus has been to seek federal subsidies for abortion at the risk of sensible and scientifically-sound public health responses focused on prevention and treatment. Following the 9/11 attacks, Planned Parenthood of New York offered free abortion on-demand. After Hurricane Katrina, a similar offer was made to displaced women by Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. This is all in keeping with their founder’s view that there should be “no more babies,” and that the “greatest sin” is “bringing children into the world.”
Planned Parenthood is the nation’s largest promoter and provider of abortion; the logical outgrowth of the loathsome ideas of its founder. Nearly 80 percent of its abortion facilities are located in low-income, minority neighborhoods. Its targeting of African-American babies for abortion has led to one-third of all abortions being performed on black women, even though African-American women make up only about 13 percent of the female population in America. Planned Parenthood’s centennial on Sunday is a dark milestone in our nation’s history. How tragic it will be if it is followed a few weeks later by the elevation of its strongest supporter to the presidency.
Yet October 16th also marks another anniversary — that of the election of St. John Paul II as Pope. He said the ideas advocated by Hillary Clinton create a “culture of death” that is “a war of the powerful against the weak” in which “a life which would require greater acceptance, love and care is considered useless, or held to be an intolerable burden, and is therefore rejected.” Against Sanger’s call for the elimination of “human weeds,” St. John Paul II offered a vision in which every person, from conception to natural death, is protected, cherished and loved.
On this anniversary, let us recommit ourselves to building a culture that respects life, supports mothers, and nurtures babies at every stage of development. Let us champion the potential represented by each life. Let us be the voice for the defenseless. Let us be the light following 100 years of darkness.
Dannenfelser is the president of Susan B. Anthony List, a national pro-life organization. Hartzler represents Missouri’s 4th congressional district.
The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the views of The Hill.