
Eugenics, therefore, is inherently racist. But in a society built on the belief of white supremacy, physical and mental fitness are always judged based on race. At times, Sanger tried to argue for a eugenics that was not applied based on race or religion. Margaret Sanger pronounced her belief in and alignment with the eugenics movement many times in her writings, especially in the scientific journal Birth Control Review. In the early 20th century eugenic ideas were popular among highly educated, privileged, and mostly white Americans. Eugenics is the theory that society can be improved through planned breeding for “desirable traits” like intelligence and industriousness. Sanger believed in eugenics - an inherently racist and ableist ideology that labeled certain people unfit to have children. Sanger refused to pay the fine and spent 30 days in jail, where she educated other inmates about birth control.Īlthough the Brownsville clinic was shut down, Sanger went on to travel the country to share her vision - a vision that had deeply harmful blind spots. All three women were charged with crimes related to sharing birth control information. Nine days later, police raided the clinic and shut it down.

Women lined up down the block to get birth control information and advice from Sanger, Byrne, and Mindell. On October 16, 1916, Sanger - together with her sister Ethel Byrne and activist Fania Mindell - opened the country’s first birth control clinic in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Her mother’s story - along with her work as a nurse on the Lower East Side of New York - inspired Sanger to travel to Europe and study birth control methods at a time when educating people about birth control was illegal in the United States. Her mother, in fragile health from many pregnancies, including seven miscarriages, died at age 50 of tuberculosis. Planned Parenthood traces its roots back to a nurse named Margaret Sanger. Sanger grew up in an Irish family of 11 children in Corning, New York.
N.Y. COURTS SEEK ROOT OUT IS FULL
“I certainly believe that the city and state need to inject the funds into Midtown Community Court so they can provide their services at full strength,” Levine said.ĪmNewYork Metro reached out to the Mayor’s office for comment, and is awaiting a response.Alexis McGill Johnson Remarks on Margaret Sanger | Planned Parenthood Video Alexis McGill Johnson Remarks on Margaret Sanger | Planned Parenthood Video However, he also referred to data showing that the services MCA offers reduce recidivism and that reopening the court would be a win for public safety. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine admitted that MCA was not a “cheap model” and required more investments. Midtown North Precinct Community Council President Delores Rubin, who has lived in Midtown for 53 years, said, “We need to open this court to make good on those promises, not just to those that may need that help, but to the communities that ended up seeing folks commit crimes over and over again for no reason other than they don’t get the help that they need, and they don’t know another way.” This is how we’re going to do it: by reopening this court.” “If we don’t get a handle on these issues, New York is not going to recover from the pandemic,” Bottcher said. So those people are better off.”Ĭity Council Member Erik Bottcher said that the still-closed court was a “failure of government” while people suffered from untreated mental illness. “It worked together with social services agencies to get people connected to the services that they needed.

“Midtown Community Court was a bright spot, a really effective tool for all three of those problems,” Gottfried said. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann Photo by Gabriele HoltermannĪssembly Member Dick Gottfried shared that many constituents have told him that the community is plagued with crime, mental health issues, and homelessness, affecting the quality of life. “This court addresses the issue that the press and the people are talking about,” Brewer said.Įlected officials and community members demand the Midtown Community Court re-opens to five days a week. According to NYPD statistics, the overall crime index in New York City increased by 31.1% in June 2022 compared with June 2021.
