Planned Parenthood Removing Founder's Name From Downtown Street

LOWER MANHATTAN, NY — The City Council voted Wednesday to remove the Margaret Sanger Square street sign from outside of Planned Parenthood's Lower Manhattan health center due to her connection to the Eugenics movement.

In July 2020, Planned Parenthood of Greater New York announced that it was removing her name from the group's Manhattan clinic at Bleecker and Mott Streets.

According to a press release from the nonprofit at the time, the removal of its founder's name was part of the organization's "public commitment to reckon with its founder's harmful connections to the eugenics movement."

During that announcement, Planned Parenthood said it would also work with the City Council to remove Sanger's name from the nearby square.

The square is located at the intersection of Mott and Bleecker Street just minutes from Washington Square Park.

"The un-naming of Margaret Sanger Square demonstrates PPGNY’s commitment to reckon with the totality of its founder’s legacy and systemic racism and ableism, which negatively impacts the well-being of Planned Parenthood patients and staff," reads a news release from Planned Parenthood.

There is no indication of what the Lower Manhattan square will be renamed.

"The un-naming of Margaret Sanger Square outside our Manhattan health center indicates to PPGNY’s patients, supporters, and opponents that the organization is ready to face the totality of Sanger’s legacy and embrace the work of becoming an anti-racist, multicultural, and inclusive health care provider, educator, and advocate," Joy D. Calloway, the interim president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, said in a news release.

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