In an opinion piece on Saturday for the New York Times, Alexis McGill Johnson – Planned Parenthood president and CEO – stated that the question of whether or not Sanger was a racist is one “that we’ve tried to avoid, but we no longer can. We must reckon with it.”
McGill Johnson addressed Sanger’s historic association with white supremist groups and eugenicists, acknowledging that the organization has failed to fully grapple with Sanger’s beliefs.
“Up until now, Planned Parenthood has failed to own the impact of our founder’s actions,” she wrote. “We have defended Sanger as a protector of bodily autonomy and self-determination, while excusing her association with white supremacist groups and eugenics as an unfortunate ‘product of her time.’”
However, pro-life advocates said that a simple apology and denunciation of Sanger’s beliefs is “cheap” and “hollow.”