Props to Margaret Sanger
By: Chris Buerke, Students for Life of America's 2012 Missionary for Life
In an article written in 1920 by everyone’s favorite person, Margaret Sanger, it was stated: “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.”
Later, in 1938, the beloved founder of Planned Parenthood wrote in her autobiography: “To each group we explained what contraception was; that abortion was the wrong way—no matter how early it was performed it was taking life; that contraception was the better way, the safer way—it took a little time, a little trouble, but was well worth while in the long run, because life had not yet begun.”
To both of these quotes, all I have to say is…what the heck, Sanger?!
We’re not supposed to agree. Look, this is the way that it goes: the pro-life side has the pope, Chuck Norris, and Mel Gibson; the pro-abortion side has you and this guy. You support the killing of unborn children; we find it rather distasteful. You make money from conducting abortions; we…don’t. Needless to say, we have some pretty apparent differences between the two of us.
But after reading your words, I am just confused—conflicted, even. Maybe I am reading too much into it, or perhaps I so badly want to believe that you had some morality about you, but it honestly sounds like…you hate abortion.
In the first quote, you state that in some cases, the law recognizes an abortion as “justifiable.” A good action never needs to be justified. No one would say, "That woman was justified in feeding her hungry child," because taking care of children is an inherently good action. It is only evil actions that need to be justified. For example, shooting a man dead is an inherently evil action. However, shooting an attacker in self-defense is justified. It is still not "good," but it is permissible considering the circumstances. Your use of the word “justifiable” shows that abortions are not good in and of themselves.
You then say that “the hundreds of thousands of abortions performed in America each year are a disgrace to civilization.” No argument there. Way to be.
In the second quote, I’ll admit, you had me scared at first. I don’t personally agree with the idea of contraception, but you go on to argue that abortion is always the “wrong way” because “no matter how early it [is] performed it [is] taking life.” You fight that in the debate between contraception and abortion, the obvious answer is "contraception" because it prevents life, rather than taking a life that has already begun.
So, let me make sure that I have this straight…
- Abortion is an action that is only allowable in certain, justifiable circumstances (for example, the life of the mother or the life of the child).
- The number of abortions that take place in society, as you put it in response to Pope Pius XI in 1931, for the “limitation of offspring” is “dangerous and vicious.”
- Abortion is wrong at any stage following fertilization because it takes the life of a child that has already begun to form.
I never thought I would say it, but…props to you, Margaret Sanger. And by props, I don’t mean these props. I mean, thank you for pointing out and understanding the obvious—that abortion, in its essence, is wrong. If someone with such a jaded agenda for the world could see this, then perhaps there is hope for our country.
I received this email from Abolish Abortion. Kind of an interesting new perspective on Margaret Sanger. I still don't agree with her view of birth control, it's more tricky than most of us think, but for her to be against abortion means that Planned Parenthood has it all wrong. Just something to chew on...
