The grandson of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger has spoken out against the pro-life comments Pope Francis made during his visit to the United States. Alexander Sanger said, “Despite Pope Francis’ progressive stance on climate change and economic equity, he has taken a back seat when it comes to reproductive health and women’s rights.”
He added, The Pope and the Catholic Church must acknowledge the fact that 99 percent of Catholic women use contraception and have abortions at the same rate as other women. His pursuit to stifle contraception access reduces women to basic purveyors of biological materials and denies them the right to plan their own families.”
Unsurprisingly, Alexander is also on the board for the International Planned Parenthood Federation and knows that the Pope’s remarks sparked interest in the United States. As LifeNews previous reported, Pope Francis thrilled pro-life activists when he addressed the sanctity of human life in Washington D.C. earlier this month.
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The pontiff said, “I appreciate the unfailing commitment of the Church in America to the cause of life and that of the family, which is the primary reason for my present visit.” At the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, he encouraged Catholics to remain vigilant in their opposition to abortion and listed unborn children among innocent people who the bishops must keep at the top of the priority list of people who deserve protection.
He lists, “the innocent victim of abortion, children who die of hunger or from bombings, immigrants who drown in the search for a better tomorrow, the elderly or the sick who are considered a burden, the victims of terrorism, wars, violence and drug trafficking, the environment devastated by man’s predatory relationship with nature – at stake in all of this is the gift of God, of which we are noble stewards but not masters.”
“It is wrong, then, to look the other way or to remain silent. Ever present within each of them is life as gift and responsibility. The future freedom and dignity of our societies depends on how we face these challenges,” he concluded.
Additionally, in an address to the United Nations, Pope Francis stressed the value of all human life for a second time while addressing environmental concerns. He said, “First, it must be stated that a true ‘right of the environment’ does exist,” the Holy Father said. “First, because we human beings are part of the environment.”
“Because every creature, particularly a living creature, has an intrinsic value, in its existence, its life, its beauty and its interdependence with other creatures,” Pope Francis said.
“Consequently, the defense of the environment and the fight against exclusion demand that we recognize a moral law written into human nature itself, one which includes the natural difference between man and woman, and absolute respect for life in all its stages and dimensions,” the Pontiff said.
He concluded, “These pillars of integral human development have a common foundation, which is the right to life and, more generally, what we could call the right to existence of human nature itself. The common home of all men and women must continue to rise on the foundations of a right understanding of universal fraternity and respect for the sacredness of every human life, of every man and every woman, the poor, the elderly, children, the infirm, the unborn, the unemployed, the abandoned, those considered disposable because they are only considered as part of a statistic.”
