Expulsion and Revulsion

Posted by Jason Ibrahim

A little over two weeks ago, the movie Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed was released on DVD to furious criticism. The film--which has inspired the uniform ire of self-styled freethinkers and nonconformists everywhere--makes the bold assertion that the scientific community needs to apply its principles of free inquiry and unbiased review to the evolution/intelligent design debate. For this act of heterodoxy, groups of no less esteem than the National Center for Science Education have turned their weapons on their fellow scientists, waging a friendly fire war that is, at best, counterproductive.

Possibly one of the most controversial claims the movie makes is in linking twentieth century eugenics theory--which applies breeding and stock principles to human reproduction--to Planned Parenthood, the worldwide healthcare services provider. Cinematically, Expelled's directors choose to make these claims via the narrator (Ben Stein's) voice over footage of Planned Parenthood's founder, Margaret Sanger. I think this was a good idea for a couple different reasons, but there is still some truly embarrassing history to be found in Planned Parenthood's--and Sanger's--past.

Although widely condemned as a racist, the term far from does justice to her complex views on the subject. It is true that she wrote that "the aboriginal Australian, the lowest known species of the human family, just a step higher than the chimpanzee in brain development, has so little sexual control that police authority alone prevents him from obtaining sexual satisfaction on the streets." It is also true that she was on friendly terms with chapters of the KKK and Nazi party, but these are merely parentheses in her greater eugenics philosophy.

In an ode to the Social Darwinism so prevalent at the time, Sanger wrote,

It is a vicious cycle; ignorance breeds poverty and poverty breeds ignorance. There is only one cure for both, and that is to stop breeding these things. Stop bringing to birth children whose inheritance cannot be one of health or intelligence. Stop bringing into the world children whose parents cannot provide for them. Herein lies the key of civilization.

Regarding racial policy, here's one of the most common Sanger quotes regarding African-Americans: "We do not want word to get out that we want to exterminate the Negro population." According to Planned Parenthood, this quote was merely taken out of context, and a larger quote they provide indicates that she was trying to dispel the myth that they are trying to "exterminate the Negro population." Unfortunately, this passage is not independently verifiable, and is in fact refuted by a couple different sources. Sympathetic histories of the birth control movement render the extended quote as follows:

We should hire three or four colored ministers, preferably with social-service backgrounds, and with engaging personalities. The most successful educational approach to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We don't want the word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population, and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members.

Perhaps you're saying, "All of that took place almost a hundred years ago! That's water under the bridge. Planned Parenthood is now about the business of empowering women, especially minorities." Sadly, Planned Parenthood hasn't strayed too far from their founder. In a series of widely publicized incidents, Planned Parenthood representatives from across the country gladly agreed to accept money from donors with racist intentions. The abortion provider has also done what they could to illegally loosen up the age restrictions put in place by their elected officials.

Regrettably, Planned Parenthood has not done anything to eradicate the eugenics philosophy of its founder. They have subdued it, hidden it and even justified it--anything but repudiate it. It seems ironic that the Democrats (and even many Republicans) work so hard to earn their endorsement when they would spurn endorsements from other odious groups like the KKK and Nazi Party. The real question, I think, is not why this information was omitted from Expelled, but why we as Americans are willing to give Planned Parenthood a pass, while other groups get the disdain they so richly deserve.

Disclaimer: The views represented here do not necessarily represent those of ILoveAltoona.com, its owners or its advertisers.