Planned Parenthood has been in the headlines lately, as the Republican House, led by Roman Catholic Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, battles to end taxpayer funding of the nation’s largest abortion provider. This has provoked hysteria in liberal Democrats, who have described defunding attempts as everything from a “vendetta” against women (Sen. Barbara Boxer) to a “war on women” (Congresswoman Barbara Lee) to a “bull’s eye” on the chest of women (Sen. Harry Reid).
As a pro-life Catholic deeply disturbed by the death culture, I can’t avoid Planned Parenthood’s founder, Margaret Sanger, and her legacy. Ben Wiker and Don DeMarco aptly described her as one of the “architects of the culture of death.” Oddly enough, I’ve also found Sanger impossible to avoid in my research on duped American progressives. The Planned Parenthood founder made a trip to Stalin’s Soviet Union in 1934, where she was inspired by the Bolsheviks’ legalization of abortion and birth control.
In recently rereading Sanger’s thoughts on that trip, which she recorded in the June 1935 issue of her flagship publication, Birth Control Review, I stumbled across an item on page 8, where Sanger took yet another swipe at Catholics.
Sanger wrote about an Italian mother of eight who had been advised by doctors to have an abortion rather than proceed with a risky pregnancy. The mother went ahead with the pregnancy, giving birth to her ninth child and giving her life in the process. Italian Catholics posthumously honored the mother with a “Christmas Night” award for her sacrifice. The award included 25,000 lire to the woman’s family. The reference to “Christmas Night” invoked history’s ultimate crisis pregnancy, one that likewise risked death to the mother (by stoning): that of the Blessed Mother.
As for Sanger, she was anything but impressed. In this final item in the June 1935 edition, published under the heading “FASCIST MOTHERHOOD,” Sanger’s publication concluded: “Her [the mother’s] merit consisted in the fact that at the age of fifty years, when she was already the mother of eight children, this woman ‘refused to listen to the doctors who advised her to submit to artificial abortion … and died in agony in giving birth to her ninth child.’ The 25,000 lire must have been a consolation to the husband and the eight other children, whose mother could have been spared to them if she had the contraceptive advice.”
We see here the typical anger that Sanger regularly directed at Roman Catholic teaching. (Another vivid example is her article “The Pope’s Position on Birth Control,” published in the Jan. 27, 1932, edition of The Nation.)
I wasn’t surprised when I saw this. And it immediately made me think of St. Gianna, whose feast day is April 28.
St. Gianna Beretta Molla was born in Milan, Italy, in October 1922, and was coming into adolescence when Sanger published these writings. She was the 10th of 13 children, raised by loving, faithful Catholics who followed the Church’s teachings. Highly intelligent, she went to college and earned degrees in medicine and surgery, opening an office and specializing in pediatrics. Her career took off. She married in 1955 and had three children. Ahead of her time, she happily balanced roles as wife, mother and physician.
Gianna’s pregnancy with her fourth child, however, did not go well. A fibroma (tumor) developed on her uterus in the second month of her pregnancy, and she knew she was risking her life for that baby in her womb. She continued nonetheless, saying to God: “If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate to choose the child. I insist.” Gianna stayed true to her word, giving birth to Gianna Emanuela on April 21, 1962.
Attempts to save the mother failed, and Gianna Beretta Molla, 39-year-old wife, mother and professional, died a week later. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1994, the Year of the Family, and canonized in May 2004.
I wonder: Would Margaret Sanger have included Gianna Beretta Molla as an example of “FASCIST MOTHERHOOD”? Would she have told Gianna’s story with snide contempt?
Gianna’s decision, of course, was not coerced by anyone or anything, other than her own conscience informed by Church teachings and God’s grace. She embodied a beautiful quote from Blessed Pope John Paul II, the man who canonized her: “The Christian life is a sacrifice.”
Put differently, to borrow a slogan abused by the abortion movement spearheaded by Sanger’s organization, Gianna exercised her “choice.” Yet it was a dignified, sanctified choice. Gianna chose as God exhorts us to choose in the Old Testament. She chose life, sacrificing her own in the process. She was a Christian who, like Christ, sacrificed her life in order to give life. It was her body all right, and she gave it up for her daughter, a daughter who likewise became a physician and was present for her canonization decades later.
I know that non-Catholics, as well as even many Catholics, will be uncomfortable with the two examples I’ve cited in this piece: the Italian mother noted by Margaret Sanger and the case of St. Gianna. They may struggle with that always difficult “mother’s life in danger” question.
The Church isn’t condemning unfortunate mothers to a bitter young death at all, but exalting someone who made the ultimate (John 15:13) sacrifice.
St. Gianna’s choice was, technically speaking, “heroic”: This is one of those rare cases in which the moral principle of double effect obtains. She could have chosen hysterectomy — knowing that her daughter would die as an inevitable and undesired effect — but she didn’t.
Gianna embodies a Church that has embraced life, whereas Sanger typifies an organization and movement — and culture — that has embraced death. The former is abundantly more fruitful.
Like Sanger, Gianna, too, was a professional, accomplished, educated, respected by peers — and remembered. Unlike Margaret Sanger, Gianna Beretta Molla offers a much better model for life.
Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College. His books include The Judge: William P. Clark, Ronald Reagan’s Top Hand (Ignatius) and Dupes: How America’s Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century.
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Brilliant article! Thank you for this excellent contrast between a woman who represents the Culture of Life (St. Gianna) and the other who represents the Culture of Death (Margaret Sanger). People need to understand Sanger’s role in how our culture has been so impacted to “normalize” contraception and abortion.
Our Lady of Fatima said the errors of Russia would spread the abortion and birt control of the soviet union which was russia. The saint lived a good life.and choose correctly. The saint daughter probably living a good life.
Doesn’t Jesus say there is no greater love then to give up one’s life for a friend? Well then…..a mother giving up her life for a child is, in my eyes, even greater then that. Who of us could give up our life for a mere friend? But for a child….?
Beautiful reflection! Gianna is my daughter’s patron saint, and by a coincidence, today she is 4 months old! St. Gianna, pray for us.
This is a great article, and really great examples. Being a Catholic mother is a vehicle to sainthood.
It is time once again to pray the Rosary with the ferver of Fatima. The prayers of the Rosary can also over come the culture of death.
I had the honor of being present at St. Gianna’s canonization. It was one of the most remarkable experiences of my life. Seeing her family visit with Pope John Paul II and meeting her son, Pierluigi, were truly memorable. As a wife and mother, I am thankful for her heroic example. Likewise, I am always pleased when intelligent people expose Margaret Sanger for what she actually was - a woman who embraced Nazi and Communist ideals because they suited her anti-life campaign. Bravo for a very well done article!
Great Article, I myself am very grateful to Saint Gianna. You see I just learned of Saint Gianna a little over a year ago. My husband I had been trying to conceive for over 13 years and nothing.It hurts me to even think of this now but I even considered divorce, because I knew that I was the one with the infertility & it broke my heart to know that because of me he was not a father yes. Thank God things never got to that point, And I thank God for such a wonderful husband. Anyways last November 2010 we visited the Shrine of Saint Gianna in Warminster Pa. we went there with our hearts wide open & with so much hope & faith. I held Saint Gianna’s glove to my stomach & asked her to please heal me and please help me conceive. Well my friends we conceived about a month after that visit, after 13 years. THANK GOD & THANK SAINT GIANNA! I continue to thank & pray to Saint Gianna for the wonderful blessing that is growing inside me. Prayers are answered.
AMEN!!! +JMJ+
AMEN! How about sending this to the White House?? +JMJ+
I wonder how many people with Planned Parenthood are secretly enamored with Nazism? After all, Margaret Sanger and Adolf Hitler were best buds and Margaret Sanger basically was great influenced by Hitler and thought as Hitler did on eugenics. Well, as they say, you reap what you sow. We already are feeling the effects of all those murdered children on the economy and it will only get worse.
@Erica, Praise God and thank you St. Gianna. God continue to bless you all.
Great article. Our Holy Father has apologized(?) to our Jewish brethren for past sins. The Bishops have apologized and asked the faithful to pray for those abused by priests and religious. Our government has apologized and paid for reparations for the treatment of Japanese citizens during WW II. When will Planned Parenthood apologize for the racial bigotry of their founder? When will they condemn the eugenic philosophy of their beloved founder? Considering how they have handled recent disclosures of their clinic abuses probably never.
A splendid comparison ! These are the kinds of articles needed in the NCR as compared to the modernist elite thinkers that constantly spew their social-justice, communist theories ! The number of supposedly Catholic politicians supporting PP is outrageous ! When will their “Bishops” make them publicly recant their Pro-Death voting !
Very good article.
Lets speak about fatherly love.
After talk about reality of unborn child and unconditional parental love, a young man asked me:“What would You say about a woman who would in fear of her death asked for abortion ?”
I said.“Wko am I so say anything about such woman. Under pressures she experience I would perhaps ask for death of three children, born or unborn, but lets speak about me.
Then I had four children.
“Suppose I stay at sidewalk beside tram tracks with my three year old daughter. At one moment I find myself looking to my daughter between tracks and tram coming in full speed. Only solution for situation I see is to throw myself in front of tram, push my daughter to be saved, and be crushed by tram. I remember three children at home who will become fatherless, and I decide to stay and look tram to crash my daughter. You would spit in my face and say :“You are not man, You are not father, You are nobody”, and You would be right. True parental love ask from parent to be prepared to risk health and life for a loved child if necessary.
I would pray that I never happen to be in such situation, but would also pray that I answer to any situation with true love. A young man sat down in silence.
We do not need to be Christian or Catholic to be just and love our child with unconditional love. We just need to be honest.
As a long-time pro-life Catholic, I consider St. Gianna my heroine and Margaret Sanger just the opposite. I have fought her legacy, the Culture of Death most of my life. I too,like Christine, had the great honor of meeting and conversing with St. Gianna’s son Pierluigi, not in Rome but in LaCrosse, Wisconsin at the beautiful Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where he was invited to visit and speak of his Mom and family. One of the side altars is dedicated to her and is topped by a huge painting of her with many little babies all around her. Some,if not all, are the actual faces painted from pictures of real babies conceived after prayers to St. Gianna. Erica mentioned conceiving after 13 years whil holding a glove of St. Gianna and praying. The Shrine in La Crosse has been gifted with a pair of her gloves and I have heard many stories like Erica’s where God has blessed parents with children through her intercession. She is truly a St. for today in this battle we are in to save the most vulnerable among us. Thank you for your great article.
This is for St Gianni, please help me to show others life is precious and sterilization is death, I cut my tubes and destroyed life in my womb forever, I am ashamed and wish I had known this was death, please heal my womb and tubes and allow life to be once more , so I may defend life with this Gift from our Lord through you, and at 44 have a child and be a role model and an example we must not be a culture of death. St Gianni pray for us, and hear my prayer, so that all woman will know is not Gods way, but life is, and we honor our Lord by being good mothers, please allow me to have a child who will serve our Lord and help me and my children to be role models of how we are to live, life first. Amen
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