FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, September 1, 2020
Contact: D.J. Jordan
703-915-0897
September 1, 2020, WASHINGTON, D.C. — A coalition of more than 120 Black American leaders co-signed a letter to the national headquarters of Planned Parenthood today, urging the nation’s largest abortion provider to confront the systemic racism of America’s abortion practices and to publicly renounce the racist legacy of its founder, Margaret Sanger.
“This effort demonstrates the outrage among the Black community that we have been strategically and consistently targeted by the abortion industry ever since the practice was legalized almost 50 years ago,” said Human Coalition Action Executive Director Rev. Dean Nelson. “Today, we are saying emphatically and unequivocally that Planned Parenthood must confront its racist founding, mission and practices. Too many Black lives have been lost to abortion. All Black lives matter.”
Signers include Democrats and Republicans; doctors, professors and ministers; men and women from different ages and regions of the U.S. Leading the list of signers are the Hon. Katrina Jackson (D-Senator, LA), Hon. James White (R-Representative, TX), Hon. Mack Jackson (D-Representative, GA), Hon. Monica Sparks (D-County Commissioner, Kent County, MI), Hon. Curtis Hill (R-Attorney General, IN), former NFL star Benjamin Watson, Alveda King, Kay Coles James, and Hon. Ken Blackwell, among many others.
Over the past several weeks, multiple employees of Planned Parenthood have come out and publicly admitted to the racist practices and culture within the organization.
“The impact of abortion on Black communities is unequal and disproportionate,” the letter reads. “Despite constituting only 13% of the female population, Black women represent 36% of all abortions, and Black women are five times more likely than white women to receive an abortion. In some cities, like New York, more Black children are aborted every year than are born alive.”
“This is no accident. Across the country, Planned Parenthood’s surgical facilities target minority communities for abortion. In fact, 79% of Planned Parenthood’s surgical abortion facilities are located in or near communities of color. Can Planned Parenthood really claim to care for Black lives while remaining complicit in the targeting of Black pregnant women?…You are right that every American must confront, challenge, and dismantle the racist institutions and practices that surround us. Planned Parenthood must do the same.”
The letter in its entirety may be found here with an opportunity for additional Americans to sign their name to it.
About Human Coalition
Human Coalition is one of the largest pro-life organizations in the nation, operating a growing network of telehealth and brick-and-mortar health care centers across the nation. Human Coalition Action is the public policy advocacy 501(c)4 arm of Human Coalition advocating for preborn children by challenging legislators to vote for pro-life policies, informing voters about pro-life candidates, and supporting pro-life legal arguments in the Courts.
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