Abortion has always been a controversial topic of discussion. Often associated with the term abortion is the organization called Planned Parenthood. This is because Planned Parenthood is one of the largest organizations in the United States that performs abortions. During 1977, a Planned Parenthood site was set on fire in the state of Minnesota. This specific incident led to many more extreme acts of violence against Planned Parenthood facilities. Though Planned Parenthood was designed to be a safe place to receive care, the violent attacks against the organization since the legalization of abortion have changed collective memory in the United States. The arson attack in 1977 sparked continued acts of aggression causing collective memory regarding abortions to be associated with violence.
Planned Parenthood is a place that everyone has heard of at least once. It is supposed to be a safe building where women can go to receive help and advice on pregnancy and contraception. It is also a place mostly known for providing safe abortions to pregnant women that choose to have them. There are many different reasons why a woman may choose to have an abortion, all of which are acceptable. Prior to the establishment of Planned Parenthood was a company “founded in New York by Margaret Sanger in 1916” as the first birth control clinic [5]. Of course this was at a time when abortion was illegal. Because of this, the company started out by focusing solely on women’s reproductive rights. Unfortunately, the company was shut down after only being open for nine days by police within the area [5]. This was due to the fact that they used birth control within the name of their company. Before 1948, birth control was something that was not yet in regular use throughout society. Sanger continued to fight for its use and decided to reopen the company under a different name. She called it Planned Parenthood in 1948 [4]. The name was changed at this time in order to remove the words birth control [4]. After the court case Roe V. Wade made abortion legal in the United States, and the company started to perform abortions as well.
The size of Planned Parenthood, and their founder’s involvement throughout the women’s rights movements, has caused it to be the first place many people go to protest. The case of Roe V. Wade was a pivotal point for women’s reproductive rights. Before this, abortions were deemed illegal and women could either not have them, or participate in unhealthy or deadly acts. While this case was good for many individuals, it created controversy throughout the country. Many individuals were against the idea of abortion and decided to make their opinions known. In 1977, just three years after Roe V. Wade, a Planned Parenthood in Minnesota was set on fire, causing more than sixty thousand dollars in damages [1]. This specific facility had historically been the focus of many different forms of vandalism, such as graffiti being painted across the outside walls, even before they started performing abortions. The violence only increased with the Roe V. Wade verdict. This was most likely due to the location of the building. The Planned Parenthood site was in a “Highland Park neighborhood” that contained a group of residents calling themselves Citizens for Concerned Action [1]. With this site being the only one within the state of Minnisota to perform abortions, the citizens and participants of the organization were ardently opposed to it being there. The individual who performed the arsonry was named Joseph Charles Stockett. Throughout his trial, State V. Stockett, it was found out that the defendant “felt that the Planned Parenthood Association was responsible for causing his former wife to have an abortion and for encouraging women to use IUD contraceptives which he felt were dangerous” [6]. Despite this, it was said by the head of the site that operations would be “administratively open” the next day [6]. While the damage overall was costly, it did not cause a change. However, this did not stop more crimes from occurring against Planned Parenthood buildings. According to CNN, between the years of 1973 and 2003, “there have been more than 200 bombings and arson attacks at facilities that offer abortion services” [2]. In addition, there has been documentation of “more than 16,000 reported cases of hate mail or harassing phone calls, over 1,500 acts of vandalism and 400 death threats” [2]. An image is provided below of a crime committed against a Planned Parenthood building that demonstrates the overall violence that occurs [7].
It is well known that Planned Parenthood has been the hub for many attacks by people trying to display their disagreement with abortion. The specific act of vandalism, arson, in Minnesota in 1977 is thought to be a starting point for further attacks. The act of Stockett changed the mindset of many people across the nation. This caused a shift within collective memory. Collective memory is defined by Oxford Dictionary as “the memory of a group of people”. In this instance, many people were already against the idea of abortion, but none had acted as violently as Stockett. The memory of that tragic incident at Planned Parenthood seems to have encouraged many others to perform similar acts of violence. This can be shown by the increased amount of arsonry and bombings that occurred after the incident in 1977. With continuing acts of violence occurring, collective memory about abortions changed. Abortions were associated with Planned Parenthood and Planned Parenthood became associated with violence. This, in turn, caused abortions to be associated with violence. The current overall collective memory of abortions today more than likely played a role in the recent decision of the supreme court to overturn Roe v. Wade [7].
Megan McClain
Works Cited
[1] “Abortion Clinic Damaged by Fire.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 25 Feb. 1977, https://www.nytimes.com/1977/02/25/archives/abortion-clinic-damaged-by-fire.html.
[2] Hutcherson, Kimberly. “A Brief History of Anti-Abortion Violence.” CNN, Cable News Network, 1 Dec. 2015, https://www.cnn.com/2015/11/30/us/anti-abortion-violence/index.html.
[3]“Oxford Languages and Google – English.” Oxford Languages, https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/.
[4] Perry, Mike. “The History of Planned Parenthood: EWTN.” EWTN Global Catholic Television Network, https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/history-of-planned-parenthood-12139.
[5] Planned Parenthood & Birth Control History: Collections – Gale. https://www.gale.com/primary-sources/womens-studies/collections/planned-parenthood-and-birth-control-history.
[6] “State v. Stockett.” Justia Law, https://law.justia.com/cases/oregon/supreme-court/1977/278-or-637-6.html.
[7] Team, FOX 5 Digital, et al. “Planned Parenthood Vandalized with Red Paint.” FOX 5 San Diego, FOX 5 San Diego, 3 Apr. 2018, https://fox5sandiego.com/news/planned-parenthood-vandalized-with-red-paint/.