this thread has more misinformation in it than the article in the denver post quoting lala and her claim of "racism at the aac" I just read.
first, planned parenthood does not advocate nor promote anything related to eugenics. in fact by way of the health services it offers to poor women, it does just the opposite in regard to "selective reproduction" (eugenics). a sick woman won't carry children to term.
second, sanger did have sympathy for the use of selective reproduction to remove from society inherited traits that were seen as undesireable. however her drive to provide sex education and contraceptives, especially to the lower income classes, was not based on eugenic ideals but on the conclusion that these families were denied economic mobility due to women not being in control of their reproductive decisions, and also that women were enslaved by the repeated pregnancies the lack of sex education and contraception produced.
remember, when sanger began her campaign to provide sex education there literally was none of this education existing. women were denied the ability to understand how reproduction worked, and contraceptives were illegal to manufacture, possess or distribute.
sanger did support forced sterilization to remove from the gene pool "undesirable" inherited conditions. she was not a racist and did not support fascism.
just as we can look at the founders of our country with respect and admiration for their dedication to forming our country with the ideals of individual rights and freedom for all in spite of their owning slaves and denying women their equal rights, so too should we look at sanger as a person who worked to provide women with the right be taught about reproduction, to control their own body, and to allow them and not others the right to decide if they will give birth.
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