A letter sent by some members of Congress to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery demands that the bust of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger be removed from the Gallery and not be displayed anywhere within the Smithsonian.
In the letter sent to Kim Sajet, director of the National Portrait Gallery where Sanger’s bust is displayed as part of an exhibit titled the “Struggle for Justice,” the members of Congress write that the fact that her bust has been included in the exhibit “is an affront both to basic human decency and the very meaning of justice.”
The letter’s signers continue:
Ms. Sanger was an avowed advocate of eugenics and the extermination of groups of people she deemed as “undesirables.” Specifically, Ms. Sanger singled out African-Americans, among other minority groups, as deserving to be subjected to such horrific and inhumane treatment. Honoring a figure who promoted such hatred and deep-seated racism is not only contrary to the values that the exhibit is purporting to promote, but also deeply antithetical to the very values most Americans hold dear.
“Honoring Ms. Sanger is an outrage,” the members of Congress say, observing that Sanger “famously espoused birth control as a method for controlling the population of minorities.”
The signers quote Sanger who wrote in 1030, “We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population.”
“There is no ambiguity in what Margaret Sanger’s bust represents: hatred, racism, and the destruction of unborn life,” Sen. Ted Cruz said in a statement. “Not only should we continue efforts to redirect funds from Planned Parenthood, an organization founded by Sanger that is currently under criminal investigation, we must also work to ensure that her inhumane life’s work is in no way promoted.”
“One of the founders of Planned Parenthood, Mrs. Sanger portrayed deep-rooted racism by advocating birth control as a method for controlling the population of minorities,” Rep. Louis Gohmert said in the statement. “This prejudice must not be celebrated or exalted. Her bust should be removed not only from the exhibit but from the National Portrait Gallery altogether, since her legacy is one of prejudice against minorities and widespread destruction of their unborn human lives.”
In August, a national group of black ministers called for the removal of Sanger’s bust from the National Portrait Gallery. In a letter to Sajet from Ministers Taking a Stand, led by president Bishop E.W. Jackson, the group urged the removal of Sanger’s likeness “from all National Portrait Gallery exhibits.”
However, in an interview with Breitbart News, Jackson said his group received a response from the Gallery, which referred to Sanger as a person who struggled for justice because she tried to make birth control and reproductive freedom available to poor women.
“We responded back that this was not Sanger’s motivation,” Jackson said. “Her motivation was stopping people whom she considered ‘defective’ from having what she would call ‘defective children.’”
Asked by Breitbart News how President Obama could be supportive of Planned Parenthood – founded by a racist – when he and his administration seem to cite racism continuously as the cause of much of what is wrong with this country, Jackson said, “Racism is only an evil to the Obama administration and those that support it when it helps their ideology and their cause. Otherwise, it should be ignored. We see that again and again.”
“This president has demonstrated such a callous, disregard for human life,” Jackson continued. “It’s almost unfathomable to me, but, of course, it’s in keeping with his record.”
“He opposed the Born Alive Infant Protection Act – and that was nothing but infanticide, and he supported that,” he explained. “It doesn’t surprise me, but it still is unbelievable that a president could think that way.”
The call to remove Sanger’s bust comes following the release of multiple undercover investigative videos, produced by the Center for Medical Progress, in which top Planned Parenthood medical officials discuss the harvesting of the body parts of aborted babies for sale on the open market.
The letter to Sajet from the members of Congress is signed by Sen. Ted Cruz, Rep. Louie Gohmert, Rep. Steve King, Rep. Chris Smith, Rep. Tim Huelskamp, Rep. Charles Boustany, Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Rep. Randy Weber, Rep. Randy Neugebauer, Rep. Ken Buck, Rep. Trent Kelly, Rep. Jeff Duncan, Rep. John Ratcliffe, Rep. Trent Franks, Rep. John Fleming, Rep. Joe Pitts, Rep. Glenn Grothman, Rep. Matt Salmon, Rep. Paul Gosar, Rep. Roger Williams, Rep. Brian Babin, Rep. Jim Bridenstine, Rep. Kenny Marchant, Rep. Blake Farenthold, Rep. Andy Harris, and Rep. Kevin Brady.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.