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Nebuchadnezzar II

2008-02-21T20:03:37Z

Captainrighteous: /* In popular fiction, drama, and cinema */

[[Image:Nebuchadnezzar-cameo.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Cameo of Nebuchadnezzar in the Florence Museum]]
[[Nebuchadnezzar II]] (635 BC-vr. 607 BC-r. 605 BC-562 BC) (''Nabu-Kudduri-Usur'' Nebo, Protect My Eldest Son or Nebo, Protect the Border),<ref name=Nisbett>Nisbett, Michael John. "[http://www.nisbett.com/people/bp-nebuchadnezzar.htm Entry for Nebuchadnezzar]." ''[http://www.nisbett.com/ The Christian Resource Centre]'' (Bermuda). Retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref><ref name=WebBible>Authors unknown. "[http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/nebuchadnezzar.html Entry for Nebuchadnezzar]." WebBible Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref> or "Nebuchadrezzar" as the Prophet [[Jeremiah (Prophet)|Jeremiah]] spelled his name, was King of the Chaldeans and final conqueror of the [[Southern Kingdom]] of [[Israel]], called "Judah."<ref name=Ussher>[[James Ussher]], ''[[The Annals of the World]]'', [[Larry Pierce]], ed., Green Forest, AR: Master Books, 2003 (ISBN 0890513600), pghh. 740, 755, 770, 775, 782, 787, 832, 881-2, 886, 890-1.</ref><ref name=keyway>[http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/roadsign.htm Wayne Blank], "[http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/nebuch.htm Entry for King Nebuchadnezzar]," ''Church of God Daily Bible Study'', retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref><ref name=ColumbiaH>Author unknown. "[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Nebuchad.html Entry for Nebuchadnezzar]." ''The Columbia Encyclopedia'', 6th ed., 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2007, from the [http://www.encyclopedia.com/ Highbeam Encyclopedia].</ref><ref name=Gill>Gill, N. S. "[http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/people/g/nebuchadnezzar.htm Entry for Nebuchadnezzar]." ''About.com''. Retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref><ref name=Lexicorient>[http://lexicorient.com/tore-eo.htm Kjeilen, Tore]. "[http://lexicorient.com/e.o/nebuchadnezzar_2.htm Entry for 'Nebuchadnezzar 2']." ''[http://lexicorient.com/e.o/index.htm Encyclopedia of the Orient],'' 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref> He was the first of many heads-of-state of foreign superpowers to come to a possibly salvific knowledge of [[God]]. Ancient and modern historians have traditionally nicknamed him "The Great." The [[Septuagint]] spells his name as Ναβουχοδονοσορ (Nabouchodonosor).

== Early Life ==
: ''Note: The chronology of [[James Ussher]] is assumed here. For details on how the alternative chronology of [[Edwin R. Thiele]] might affect the next series of dates, see the "Disputed chronology" section below.''

Different sources variously report the year of Nebuchadnezzar's birth as 630 BC<ref name=keyway/> or 635 BC.<ref name=Lexicorient/> He was married, or at least betrothed, in 626 BC, to [[Amyitis]], daughter of [[Astyages]], who was the son of [[Cyaxeres I]], King of the [[Media|Medes]].<ref name=WebBible/><ref name=keyway/> This was part of a military treaty that his father [[Nabopolassar]] made with Astyages. This union produced at least one son, named Amal-Marduk or [[Evil-Merodach]], and a [[Daughter of Nebuchadnezzar|daughter]], whose name is unrecorded.

In that year, the two allies attacked the [[Assyria|Assyrian]] capital of [[Nineveh]] and reduced it to a ruin, as the [[prophet|prophets]] [[Isaiah (Prophet)|Isaiah]] and [[Nahum]] had predicted. Afterward, [[Nabopolassar]] reigned in newly-independent [[Babylon]] for twenty-one years.

== The Military Leader ==
=== General Staff ===
In 610 BC, while still quite young, Nebuchadnezzar became a ranking staff officer, probably equivalent to a modern adjutant general.<ref name=Lexicorient/> He also actively supervised the restoration of the temple of [[Marduk]], king of the gods in the [[Babylonia]]n pantheon.<ref name=Nystrom>Nystrom, Nathaniel. "[http://www.allaboutarchaeology.org/babylon-and-the-ishtar-gate-faq.htm Babylon and the Ishtar Gate]." ''[http://www.allaboutarchaeology.org/ All About Archaeology],'' 2005. Retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref>

=== Viceroy ===
In 607 BC, Nebuchadnezzar became viceroy of Babylonia. With that office came a major theater command.<ref name=Lexicorient/> The [[Babylonian Chronicle]] clearly states that this occurred in the nineteenth year of the reign of Nabopolassar, and backs this with an [[astronomical dating|astronomical reference]].<ref name=Nisbett/>

Nabopolassar's first orders to his son was to head westward and recapture certain lands near [[Lebanon]], including the western provinces of [[Syria]], from the [[Egypt|Egyptians]]. This occurred after [[Pharaoh]] [[Necho II]] had met and vanquished an Assyrian army at [[Carchemish]] three years earlier, thus establishing Egyptian hegemony in the region.<ref name=WebBible/><ref name=ColumbiaH/><ref name=Gill/> (This was the campaign in which King [[Josiah]] of Judah unwisely tried to thwart Necho and was killed in action.)

Nebuchadnezzar moved swiftly, met Necho and his forces at Carchemish, and routed them.<ref name=Nisbett><ref name=WebBible/><ref name=ColumbiaH/><ref name=Lexicorient/> Nebuchadnezzar marched on into Judea, and accepted the surrender of [[Jerusalem]] and the pledge of vassalage of [[Jehoiakim]].<ref name=Lexicorient/> This happened in the fourth year of Jehoiakim's reign.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=Daniel|chap=1|verses=1-2}}, {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=36|verses=6}}</ref> The prophet [[Daniel]] and three of his friends ([[Shadrach]], [[Meschach]], and [[Abednego]]) were taken hostage and sent back to [[Babylon]] at this time.<ref name=Nisbett/><ref name=keyway/> This is the beginning of the seventy-year exile, or "captivity," of Israel, also called the "desolation."

=== Lone Reign ===
Nebuchadnezzar moved on and solidified his hold over the eastern Mediterranean lands, so that never again would Pharaoh Necho venture out of Egypt.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=24|verses=7}}</ref><ref name=WebBible/> In this year, on 8 Av ([[August 15]], 605 BC by the [[Julian calendar]]<ref name=Nisbett/>), Nabopolassar died.<ref name=keyway/><ref name=ColumbiaH/> Nebuchadnezzar returned to Babylon as swiftly as he could, to solidify his rule. With him he brought back a great many captives from Judah, Syria, Lebanon ([[Phoenicia]]), and Egypt. He left behind a token garrison in the region.<ref name=Nisbett/>

On 1 Elul ([[September 7]], [[605 BC]]) he laid undisputed claim to his throne.<ref name=Nisbett/><ref name=Lexicorient/> He was anywhere from twenty-five to thirty years old at this time, and he might at this time have ceremonially consummated his marriage to Amyitis, who now would carry the title of "queen." Persistent legend credits him with building a magnificent garden, called the [[Hanging Gardens of Babylon]] to this day,<ref name=ColumbiaH/><ref name=Gill/><ref name=Lexicorient/><ref name=Nystrom/> but this legend has no archaeological warrant nor even any contemporary record.<ref name=Lexicorient/> The Hanging Gardens were supposed to be a present to Amyitis, who would at least have something to remind her of her girlhood in the hill country of the Medes.

In any event, Nebuchadnezzar could confidently ignore his northern frontier, because Amyitis' grandfather [[Cyaxeres I]] would prove not only a faithful ally but also a powerful one. Ussher says that Cyaxeres had hundreds of Scythians slaughtered at a banquet, an act that sent the rest of them fleeing northward and, apparently, not attempting another invasion of the Middle East. Centuries would pass before their apparent descendants the [[Russia|Russians]] would attempt to hold any sway at all in the region.

=== Rebellion in Judea ===
Jehoiakim, against the advice of the prophet [[Jeremiah (Prophet)|Jeremiah]], rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar in the second year of his, Nebuchadnezzar's, lone reign. Nebuchadnezzar dealt decisively with this upstart. His campaign did not proceed completely without problems; various sources say that he suffered a setback in his campaign against the Egyptians in 600 BC<ref name=Nisbett/><ref name=ColumbiaH/><ref name=Lexicorient/> (or perhaps two years earlier). In any case, in 599 BC, his army recaptured Jerusalem, and his theater commander took Jehoiakim<ref name=Nisbett/><ref name=Lexicorient/> off to prison and apparently executed him and denied him a proper burial.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=Jeremiah|chap=22|verses=18-19}}, {{Bible ref|book=Genesis|chap=36|verses=30}}</ref> Three months later, Nebuchadnezzar had to come back personally to Jerusalem to deal with the rebellion of Jehoiakim's son [[Jehoiachin]]. Nebuchadnezzar took this man and all his family hostage to Babylon and placed his uncle [[Zedekiah]] on the throne in Judah.<ref name=Nisbett/><ref name=ColumbiaH/>

=== Destruction of Jerusalem ===
: ''Main Article: [[Fall of Jerusalem]]''

Again, against the advice of the Prophet Jeremiah, Zedekiah himself rebelled after "reigning" for eleven years. Zedekiah had drawn a moral from the actions of Pharaoh [[Hophra]], or [[Apries]], who had attempted another invasion of [[Lebanon]] in 594 BC, in which he captured [[Sidon]]. Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem again at the head of an army and laid siege to Jerusalem in 590 BC. Aphris tried to raise the siege, but Nebuchadnezzar crushed his army and then returned to Jerusalem, which he eventually captured.<ref name=Nisbett/><ref name=ColumbiaH/> Nebuchadnezzar executed Zedekiah's offspring, blinded Zedekiah, tossed him into prison, and sent his chief of staff to burn the city and the [[Temple of Jerusalem|Temple]], exactly as Jeremiah predicted. [[James Ussher]] reckons this as happening in 588 BC, while [[Edwin R. Thiele]] believes it happened in 586 BC.<ref name=keyway/><ref name=ColumbiaH/><ref name=Gill/><ref name=Lexicorient/>

=== Further Campaigns ===
Nebuchadnezzar then laid siege to [[Tyre]]<ref name=Nisbett/> beginning in 585 BC. Thirteen years later (572 BC) his troops took the city and sacked it. Nebuchadnezzar also, as he had done earlier at Jerusalem, removed the regnant king and placed a vassal king on the throne instead. A year later, in 570 BC (which was his thirty-seventh regnal year), Nebuchadnezzar completed the conquest of all of Egypt with a successful campaign against [[Pharaoh]] [[Amasis]].<ref name=Nisbett/><ref name=WebBible/><ref name=Lexicorient/>

== Final Years ==
[[Image:IshtarGate.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Bas-relief from the Ishtar Gate]]
He then returned to Babylon and set about building it into the greatest capital city he could imagine.<ref name=ColumbiaH/> He might have built the famed Ishtar Gate at this time.<ref name=Gill/><ref name=Nystrom/> The image at the right shows lions, which Nebuchadnezzar had adopted as his symbol.

But at about this time he dreamed of the tree destined to be cut down, and then suffered his seven-years of lycanthropy (see below) before finally being restored to his throne toward the end of his life.<ref name=NebProclaim>{{Bible ref|book=Daniel|chap=4}}</ref>

He died in 562 BC (possibly in October<ref name=Lexicorient/>), after reigning forty-five years altogether, including his two-year viceroyship under his father.<ref name=Nisbett/><ref name=WebBible/><ref name=ColumbiaH/><ref name=Lexicorient/> This date is universally accepted and attested, and remains the sole reliable benchmark for the synchrony of [[Biblical chronology|Biblical]] and secular [[chronology]]. His son [[Evil-Merodach]] reigned in his stead.<ref name=Nisbett/><ref name=WebBible/><ref name=Lexicorient/>

== Nebuchadnezzar's experiences with God and His servants ==
[[Image:Blake.nebuchadnezzar.lycanthrope.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Nebuchadnezzar as lycanthrope, by William Blake]]
Nebuchadnezzar is highly regarded both in the Bible and by secular historians who "rate" the ancient superpower emperors. By all accounts he carved out and built up one of the largest, happiest, wealthiest, most advanced, and most powerful civilizations of his day. But the most remarkable thing about him is that he actually came to profess a belief in God.

Prior to Nebuchadnezzar, God had never seen fit to remove the [[King David|Davidic]] dynasty completely from the throne of Judah--though the [[Northern Kingdom]] of "Israel" had gone through several different dynasties before [[Shalmaneser V]] of [[Assyria]] finally conquered [[Samaria]] and essentially replaced its population. But Nebuchadnezzar was the first king essentially to replace a Judaean dynasty as its governors--and ironically, Gentile though he was, was the first among them to "measure up" to God's desires.

=== The Dietary Incident ===
Nebuchadnezzar had no idea what sort of hostages Daniel and his friends would prove to be. The first hint probably came when Daniel and his friends refused the rich foods that were the standard Royal diet. (This happened in the fourth year of Jehoiakim.) Daniel laid something of a wager with the chamberlains: that he and his three friends would do better on a diet following [[Leviticus|Levitican]] precepts than on the Royal diet. The nutritional value of the "Kosher diet" is well-known even today, and it must have served Daniel well enough, because when Daniel and his friends appeared at court, they proved more intelligent and better able than anyone else present. Nebuchadnezzar rewarded them with some ''very'' senior ministries in his kingdom.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=Daniel|chap=1}}</ref>

=== The Statuary Dream ===
: ''Main Article: [[Nebuchadnezzar's Statuary Dream]]''

Early in his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had a strange and troubling dream. [[James Ussher|Ussher]]<ref name=Ussher2>[[James Ussher|Ussher]], ''[[The Annals of the World|op. cit.]]'', pgh. 787</ref> dates this event in 604 BC, which is the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's lone reign; this is more likely because Nebuchadnezzar was definitely in Babylon at the time. This dream took place before Jehoiakim's rebellion (see above).

In this dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw a great statue that had a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, loins and thighs of bronze, lower legs of iron, and feet of iron mixed with clay. As he was watching this, a great rock struck the statue, ground it into dust, and remained as a tall mountain.

He then summoned his wise men--and at this point, some troublemakers in his administration suggested that he should execute any who presumed to interpret his dream, unless that person could repeat the dream back to the king without his telling him, and ''then'' interpret it! Daniel was up to the challenge. Daniel tells his side of the story, and Nebuchadnezzar himself backs the story up. The Second Chapter of Daniel tells the details of the statue with the head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belt and thighs of bronze, shins of iron, and feet of iron-mixed-with-clay--these are the original "feet of clay" that remain today a metaphor for a fatal failing in an ostensibly great hero or leader. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar with conviction that he was the antitype for the head of gold, and proceeded to give Nebuchadnezzar a summary of the future history of the world until what most evangelicals would describe as the Second Coming of Christ. <ref>{{Bible ref|book=Daniel|chap=2}}</ref>

Nebuchadnezzar rewarded Daniel with a high council seat, and with similar high office for Daniel's three friends.

=== The Fiery Furnace Incident ===
: ''Main Article: [[The Burning Fiery Furnace]]''

Nebuchadnezzar was not convinced so easily. A number of years later (Ussher gives no firm date for this) he set up a golden statue. This was either of the god [[Marduk]] (which we may infer from his earlier activity in rebuilding Marduk's temple), or it was an all-gold replica of the statue he had seen in his earlier dream. He then commanded that whosoever would not worship that image would be thrown into a brick kiln--literally, "burning fiery furnace." Daniel was away from the city at the time, but [[Shadrach]], [[Meschach]], and [[Abednego]] fell neatly into the trap. Nebuchadnezzar had them thrown in--and they walked out alive. Witnesses, furthermore, described a fourth man in the furnace with him--probably the [[Angel of the Lord]] Himself.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=Daniel|chap=3}}</ref><ref name=WebBible/>

=== The Lycanthrope ===
In 570 BC, Nebuchadnezzar, having completed his wars of conquest, returned to Babylon to concentrate on making it his showcase. At this time he dreamed of a tree destined to be cut down. Daniel tried to tell him that Nebuchadnezzar himself was that tree, but the king did not listen. Very soon thereafter, Nebuchadnezzar came to suffer the delusion that he was an animal, and to eat grass.<ref name=ColumbiaH/> (Some secular sources claim that this actually happened to [[Nabonidus]], his second son-in-law.) This extreme humbling was the final lesson Nebuchadnezzar needed to convince him of the LORD's Truth. He held Daniel in the highest esteem until the day of his death, and trusted him implicitly. Daniel includes, as the fourth chapter of his work, Nebuchadnezzar's testimony to his people about his experiences as a lycanthrope.<ref name=NebProclaim/><ref name=WebBible/>

This incident has very little extra-Biblical corroboration, unless one can cite a fragmentary [[cuneiform]] inscription in which an anonymous court official, possibly the king's own [[physician]], testifies to symptoms in Nebuchadnezzar that seem remarkably like those of major depressive disorder.<ref name=Nisbett/>

== Disputed chronology of Nebuchadnezzar's early career ==
The dating of the events in Nebuchadnezzar's career up to and a year after the [[Fall of Jerusalem]] is in sharp dispute. This dispute arises from the same source as does the ongoing [[Biblical chronology dispute]] between the opposing followers of [[James Ussher]] and [[Edwin R. Thiele]]. The probable source of the confusion concerns exactly what one means by the phrase "first year of Nebuchadnezzar." By tradition, the "first year" is the year that a king was granted the office of ''viceroy''. But if, as seems likely, Thiele interpreted "first year of Nebuchadnezzar" as the year that Nebuchadnezzar reigned ''alone'', then he could be forgiven for surmising that a key intersection of Nebuchadnezzar's career with the history of the Southern Kingdom occurred in 605 BC, which was in fact the year that Nabopolassar died.

== Nebuchadnezzar in modern culture ==
=== In the news ===
Beginning in 1979, [[Saddam Hussein]], the long-time dictator of the [[Iraq|Republic of Iraq]], began to [[Propaganda|propagate]] the notion that he was a direct lineal descendant of Nebuchadnezzar.<ref name=Knish>[http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2005/03/about-me.html Knish, Sultan]. "[http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2007/01/nebuchadnezzarsaddam.html Nebuchadnezzar-Saddam]." Sultan Knish Blog, January 1, 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref> He went so far as to call himself "Nebuchadrezzar III" and to have coins struck showing his likeness and that of the actual Babylonian king. These coins showed the two likenesses to be uncannily similar, though that might have resulted from slight alteration in the two likenesses to ''make'' them similar, at Hussein's orders.

In 1982 Saddam Hussein began to "restore" the ancient capital of Babylon. He did this in part by rebuilding Nebuchadnezzar's palace directly over the site of the old one, using bricks glorifying Saddam himself as the "heir" to Nebuchadnezzar. [[Archaeology|Archaeologists]] were aghast, but also powerless to stop him. By one account, the bricks began to crack within ten years.<ref name=Craven>Craven, Jackie. "[http://architecture.about.com/cs/countriescultures/a/saddamspalace.htm Saddam's Babylonian Palace]." ''About.com'', retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref>

In addition to rebuilding the palace, Saddam sought to restore the entire city as a tourist attraction. He even created a special unit of his army and outfitted it with the same ancient weapons and uniforms that Nebuchadnezzar's soldiers might have borne and worn.

Saddam Hussein also built his grandest palace directly adjacent to his "restored" palace of Nebuchadnezzar.<ref name=Craven/> In the ensuing invasion of Iraq by the [[United States]], United States Marines used the sprawling palace as a barracks.<ref name=OConnell>O'Connell, Daniel, Gun. Sgt., USMC. "[http://architecture.about.com/library/bl-babylon.htm Ancient Architecture of Babylon: A Photo Tour]." ''About.com'', retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref>

On July 10, 2007, Prof. Michael Jursa ([[University of Vienna]]), while working at the [[British Museum]], succeeded in translating a cuneiform tablet, dating to the tenth reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, that makes a direct reference to one Nabu-sharrussu-ukin.<ref>Alberge, Dalya. "[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2056362.ece Museum’s tablet lends new weight to Biblical truth]." ''The Times'' ([[London]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|United Kingdom]]), July 11, 2007. Retrieved July 13, 2007.</ref><ref>Reynolds, Nigel. "[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/11/ntablet111.xml Tiny tablet provides proof for Old Testament]." ''The Daily Telegraph'' ([[London]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|United Kingdom]]), July 13, 2007. Retrieved July 13, 2007.</ref><ref name=Arutz7>Fendel, Hillel. "[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/123041 Babylonian King's Eunuch Really Existed]!" ''[http://www.israelnationalnews.com/ Arutz-Sheva Israel National News]'', July 11, 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2007.</ref> This Nabu-sharrussu-ukin made a payment of 1.5 minas<ref name=Arutz7/> of [[gold]] (an amount that would weigh 0.75 [[kilogram|kg]] today), to the temple of Esangila in [[Babylon]].<ref name=BCC>Barney, Kevin. "[http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2007/07/evidence-for-the-historical-existence-of-nebo-sarsekim/ Evidence for the Historical Existence of Nebo-Sarsekim]." ''By Common Consent'', July 11, 2007. Retrieved July 13, 2007.</ref> Nabu-sharrussu-ukin is also none other than the man named by the [[prophet]] [[Jeremiah (prophet)|Jeremiah]] and variously identified as Nebo-Sarsekim<ref name=NIV>{{Bible ref|book=Jeremiah|chap=3|verses=3|version=NIV}}</ref> and Sarsechim,<ref name=KJV>{{Bible ref|book=Jeremiah|chap=3|verses=3|version=KJV}}</ref> one of three ranking generals who were present at the [[Fall of Jerusalem|siege of Jerusalem]] by Nebuchadnezzar.<ref>Mariottini, Claude. "[http://www.claudemariottini.com/blog/2007/07/book-of-jeremiah-and-new-archaeological.html The Book of Jeremiah and A New Archaeological Discovery]." ''Dr. Claude Mariottini - Professor of Old Testament'', July 10, 2007. Retrieved July 13, 2007.</ref>

=== In popular fiction, drama, and [[motion picture|cinema]] ===
The most popular reference to Nebuchadnezzar today is in a [[motion picture]] titled ''The Matrix''. In it, a rebel force builds a hovercraft that they use to elude their robot conquerers and tap into the internet-like virtual reality "Matrix". They name their craft after Nebuchadnezzar, on the theory that Nebuchadnezzar had a "great awakening," which they hope to achieve.<ref name=Matrix>Authors unknown. "[http://www.angelfire.com/mt/matrix/neb.html Entry for a ship named ''Nebuchadnezzar'']." ''[http://www.angelfire.com/mt/matrix/mai.html The Matrix],'' November 21, 1999. Retrieved July 15, 2007. This is an unofficial fan site devoted to the [[motion picture]] of that title.</ref>

Nebuchadnezzar also figures often in [[Christian]] [[fiction]], usually in reference to his "statuary dream," the place of Babylon in ancient prophecy, and the alleged place of Babylon in prophecies said to be yet-unfulfilled.

== Related References ==
{{reflist|2}}

== See Also ==

[[Category:Biblical persons]]
[[Category:Ancient History]]

Gender equality

2008-02-21T19:52:26Z

Captainrighteous:

Gender equality is the idea that men and women are inherently equal and should be considered so in the larger society. The tenets of this idea was an integral part of the suffragists argument for voting rights, battles for equal pay for women and other issues of women's right.

==Equal Pay Act 1963==

The Equal Pay Act on June 10, 1963 (effective June 11, 1964) made it illegal to pay women less than men for doing the same job strictly on the basis of their sex. This had been commonplace before. There had to be demonstrable differences in seniority, merit, the quality or quantity of work, or other considerations in order to merit different pay.<ref>http://www.dol.gov/oasam/regs/statutes/equal_pay_act.htm</ref>

Two landmark court cases, ''Schultz v. Wheaton Glass Co.'' (1970), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and ''Corning Glass Works v. Brennan'' (1974), [[U.S. Supreme Court]] tightened and refined the language of the act.

In 1963, average wages for women were about 59% of the wages paid to men. In the UK, the gender pay gap derived from median hourly earnings (excluding overtime) in 2006 was 12.6 per cent using the median and 17.2 per cent using the mean. This means that women who work full time are paid on average 87.4 per cent of men's hourly earnings using the median and 82.8 per cent using the mean. The full-time gender pay gap decreased by 0.4 percentage points in 2006 using the median but increased by 0.1 percentage points using the mean. This was due to a higher growth in the earnings of men working full-time in the top decile. Because the mean can be distorted by a small number of high earners, who are predominantly men, the Office of National Statistics in the UK now recommends measuring the gender pay gap using the median value.

The part-time gender pay gap declined from 40.4 in April 2005 to 40.21 per cent in April 2006 using the median. Using the mean, the part-time gender pay gap was the same as it was in 2005.<ref>http://www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/pay/govt_action.htm</ref> . American figures are slightly different. <ref>http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat39.pdf</ref>

According to the UK government's Gender Pay Gap Fact Sheet:

<blockquote>''The causes of the gender pay gap are complex and reflect to some extent current and historical choices. Key factors include: human capital differences: i.e. differences in educational levels and work experience; part-time working; travel patterns and occupational segregation. Other factors include: job grading practices, appraisal systems, and pay discrimination...Occupation segregation is one of the main causes of the gender pay gap. Women's employment is highly concentrated in certain occupations and those occupations which are female-dominated are often the lowest paid. In addition, women are still under-represented in the higher paid jobs within occupations - the "glass ceiling" effect.'' <ref>http://www.womenandequalityunit.gov.uk/pay/govt_action.htm</ref> </blockquote>

==Gender Equality duty 2007==

On April 6, 2007, the Gender Equality Duty came into effect in the [[United Kingdom]]. It was designed to be pro-active in tackling polices and practices that superficially appear gender neutral but can contribute to greater inequality.

The law deals with disadvantage to both genders generated by work patterns adopted by employers. Women are disadvantaged by systems that take no account of caring responsibilities, different patterns of working life, or greater vulnerability to domestic violence and sexual assault. Men are disadvantaged when workplaces do not recognize their family or childcare responsibilities or when family support services assume they are less involved in parenting, or when health services do not take into account their different needs. For example, research shows that men are less likely to visit their GP, and so may progress further into diseases such as lung cancer before being diagnosed.

The Gender Equality Duty also applies to [[transsexual]] men and women in terms of employment and training. The European Directive on equal treatment protects them from discrimination and harassment after the end of 2007.

To comply with UK law, all public bodies, and private or voluntary sector bodies who carry out public functions, must:

* Gather information on how their work affects women and men
* Consult all stakeholders
* Assess impact of policies and practices on both sexes
* Prioritise and set gender equality objectives
* Plan and take action to achieve objectives
* Publish a gender equality scheme
* Review progress every three years

The criticism has been leveled that this will increase bureaucracy, but the CBI Public Services Directorate has asked its members to look beyond bureaucratic processes to deliver better equality outcomes.

The element of proactivity in Gender Equality Duty means that it is now a statutory requirement for public organizations to consider the effects of its employment patterns on gender equality. In late 2007 a body called the Commission for Equality and Human Rights will take over responsibility from the current Equal Opportunities Commission for promoting and enforcing legislation on gender, disability and race.<ref>http://www.equalpaylawyer.co.uk/questions/q-a-gender-equality-duty/view</ref>

==References==

<references/>

[[category:Civil Rights]]

Gender equality

2008-02-21T19:52:16Z

Captainrighteous: /* Equal Pay Act 1963 */

Feminism

2008-02-21T19:46:07Z

Captainrighteous:

'''Feminism''' originally was an expression used by [[suffragettes]] - who were predominantly [[pro-life]]{{fact}} - to obtain the right for women to vote in the early 1900s in the [[United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]]. By the late 1900s, however, [[liberals]] had changed the meaning to represent people who favored [[abortion]] and the identical treatment of women in the military and in society as a whole.

==History==
Roots of the movement in the United States and the United Kingdom include the [[Women's Suffrage]] movement of the early 1900's and the [[Women's Liberation]] (or "Second Wave Feminist") movement of the 1960's and 1970's.

The [[Equal Rights Amendment]], which proponents claimed would address the inadequacies of the [[Fourteenth Amendment]] concerning women and citizenship, was proposed in the US in 1923. The amendment passed Congress in 1972 but was ultimately defeated, falling just three states short of the required two-thirds majority on June 30, 1982. The majority of Americans felt that its passage would entail several consequences, including making girls subject to the military draft, the integration of single-sex schools, the possible recognition of homosexual marriage, and the revocation of laws that protect women in dangerous jobs, such as factory or mining work. {{fact}}

The feminist movement in the West evolved in the 1980s with the rise of so-called [[Post-Feminism]] (also called "[[Third-Wave]]" feminism), which stresses that women have many rights that go unrecognized, often by women themselves, in everyday life, and in the American legal structure. Most members of the feminist movement support reproductive rights currently guaranteed by American law, including the legal right to [[abortion]]. This stance is opposed by many conservatives, leading political commentator [[Rush Limbaugh]] to coin the term "Femi-nazis" to refer to extreme feminist activists.

During the administration of [[Bill Clinton]], feminism made a partial resurgence, but feminist leadership largely failed to criticize{{fact}} President Clinton's [[sexist]] behavior toward female employees as both Arkansas Governor{{fact}} and U.S. President{{fact}}.

==Quotations==
"The nuclear family must be destroyed ... Whatever its ultimate meaning, the break-up of families now is an objectively revolutionary process" - Linda Gordon

"I feel that 'man-hating' is an honourable and viable political act, that the oppressed have a right to class-hatred against the class that is oppressing them." - Robin Morgan, Ms. Magazine Editor

"I haven't the faintest notion what possible revolutionary role white hetero-sexual men could fulfill, since they are the very embodiment of reactionary-vested-interest-power. But then, I have great difficulty examining what men in general could possibly do about all this. In addition to doing the sh*twork that women have been doing for generations, possibly not exist? No, I really don't mean that. Yes, I really do" - Robin Morgan

"Marriage has existed for the benefit of men; and has been a legally sanctioned method of control over women ... We must work to destroy it. The end of the institution of marriage is a necessary condition for the liberation of women. Therefore it is important for us to encourage women to leave their husbands and not to live individually with men ... All of history must be re-written in terms of oppression of women. We must go back to ancient female religions like witchcraft" (from "The Declaration of Feminism" November, 1971)

"In a patriarchal society, all heterosexual intercourse is rape because women, as a group, are not strong enough to give meaningful consent" - Catharine MacKinnon, quoted in Professing Feminism: Cautionary Tales from the Strange World of Women's Studies

"I am woman! I am invincible! I am pooped!" - Author Unknown

"The feminista agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become [[lesbian]]s" - Pat Robertson, fundraising letter, 1992

"The people I'm furious with are the Women's Liberationists. They keep getting up on soapboxes and proclaiming women are brighter than men. That's true, but it should be kept quiet or it ruins the whole racket" - Anita Loos

"We can't destroy the inequities between men and women until we destroy marriage" - Robin Morgan

"I claim that rape exists any time sexual intercourse occurs when it has not been initiated by the woman, out of her own genuine affection and desire" - Robin Morgan

"Life in this society being, at best, an utter bore and no aspect of society being at all relevant to women, there remains to civic-minded, responsible, thrill-seeking females only to overthrow the government, eliminate the money system, institute complete automation, and destroy the male sex" - [[Valerie Solanas]], [[SCUM]] founder (Society for Cutting Up Men)

"The male is a domestic animal which, if treated with firmness...can be trained to do most things" - Jilly Cooper, [[SCUM]] (Society For Cutting Up Men, started by [[Valerie Solanas]])

"Women are not inherently passive or peaceful. We're not inherently anything but human." - Robin Morgan

"Since marriage constitutes slavery for women, it is clear that the women's movement must concentrate on attacking this institution. Freedom for women cannot be won without the abolition of marriage" - Sheila Cronin, the leader of the feminist organization NOW

"I want to see a man beaten to a bloody pulp with a high-heel shoved in his mouth, like an apple in the mouth of a pig" - [[Andrea Dworkin]]

"Marriage as an institution developed from rape as a practice" - [[Andrea Dworkin]]

"Heterosexual intercourse is the pure, formalized expression of contempt for women's bodies" - [[Andrea Dworkin]]

"In my own life, I don't have intercourse. That is my choice" - [[Andrea Dworkin]]

Under patriarchy, every woman's son is her potential betrayer and also the inevitable rapist or exploiter of another woman" - [[Andrea Dworkin]]

"To be rapeable, a position that is social, not biological, defines what a woman is" - [[Andrea Dworkin]]

Q: People think you are very hostile to men A: "I am" - [[Andrea Dworkin]]

"Men use the night to erase us" - [[Andrea Dworkin]]

"The annihilation of a woman's personality, individuality, will, character, is prerequisite to male sexuality" - [[Andrea Dworkin]]

"Men love death. In everything they make, they hollow out a central place for death, let its rancid smell contaminate every dimension of whatever still survives. Men especially love murder. In art they celebrate it, and in life they commit it. They embrace murder as if life without it would be devoid of passion, meaning, and action, as if murder were solace, stilling their sobs as they mourn the emptiness and alienation of their lives" - [[Andrea Dworkin]]

"Men are rapists, batterers, plunderers, killers; these same men are religious prophets, poets, heroes, figures of romance, adventure, accomplishment, figures ennobled by tragedy and defeat. Men have claimed the earth, called it 'Her'. Men ruin Her. Men have airplanes, guns, bombs, poisonous gases, weapons so perverse and deadly that they defy any authentically human imagination" - [[Andrea Dworkin]], Pornography: Men Possessing Women

"On the Left, on the Right, in the Middle; Authors, statesmen, thieves; so-called humanists and self-declared fascists; the adventurous and the contemplative, in every realm of male expression and action, violence is experienced and articulated as love and freedom" - [[Andrea Dworkin]], Pornography: Men Possessing Women

"The institution of sexual intercourse is anti-feminist" - Ti-Grace Atkinson

"Feminism is the theory, lesbianism is the practice" - Ti-Grace Atkinson

"It matters more what's in a woman's face than what's on it." - Claudette Colbert, quoted in Kindling the Spirit by Lois P. Frankel

"Rape is nothing more or less than a conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear" - Susan Brownmiller; Authoress of Against Our Will p.6

"When a woman reaches orgasm with a man she is only collaborating with the patriarchal system, eroticizing her own oppression" - Sheila Jeffrys

"Politically, I call it rape whenever a woman has sex and feels violated" - Catharine MacKinnon

"All sex, even consensual sex between a married couple, is an act of violence perpetrated against a woman" - Catharine MacKinnon

"You grow up with your father holding you down and covering your mouth so another man can make a horrible searing pain between your legs" - Catharine MacKinnon (Prominent legal feminist scholar; Universities of Michigan & Yale)

"In a patriarchal society, all heterosexual intercourse is rape because women, as a group, are not strong enough to give meaningful consent" - Catharine MacKinnon, quoted in ''Professing Feminism: Cautionary Tales from the Strange World of Women's Studies''

"The more famous and powerful I get the more power I have to hurt men" - Sharon Stone, Actress

All men are good for is f---ing, and running over with a truck - statement made by an University of Maine Feminist Administrator and overheard by [[Richard Dinsmore]] who brought a successful civil suit against the university in the amount of $600,000. Richard had objected to what was said and as a result was dismissed on the grounds of 'harassment'. He responded by bringing suit against the university, 1995 settlement

"Ninety-five percent of women's experiences are about being a victim. Or about being an underdog, or having to survive ... women didn't go to Vietnam and blow things up. They are not [[Rambo]]" - Jodie Foster, Actress - as quoted in The New York Times Magazine

"The proportion of men must be reduced to and maintained at approximately 10% of the human race" - Sally Miller Gearhart, in ''The Future - If There Is One - Is Female''

"And if the professional rapist is to be separated from the average dominant heterosexual (male), it may be mainly a quantitative difference" - Susan Griffin, Rape: The All-American Crime

"If life is to survive on this planet, there must be a decontamination of the Earth. I think this will be accompanied by an evolutionary process that will result in a drastic reduction of the population of males" - Mary Daly, former Professor at Boston College, 2001

"If anyone is prosecuted for filing a false report, then victims of real attacks will be less likely to report them" - David Angier

"Men who are unjustly accused of rape can sometimes gain from the experience" - Catherine Comins

"As long as some men use physical force to subjugate females, all men need not. The knowledge that some men do suffices to threaten all women. He can beat or kill the woman he claims to love; he can rape women ... he can sexually molest his daughters ... THE VAST MAJORITY OF MEN IN THE WORLD DO ONE OR MORE OF THE ABOVE" - Marilyn French (her emphasis)

My feelings about men are the result of my experience. I have little sympathy for them. Like a Jew just released from Dachau, I watch the handsome young Nazi soldier fall writhing to the ground with a bullet in his stomach and I look briefly and walk on. I don't even need to shrug. I simply don't care. What he was, as a person, I mean, what his shames and yearnings were, simply don't matter" - Marilyn French; The Woman's Room

"All patriarchists exalt the home and family as sacred, demanding it remain inviolate from prying eyes. Men want privacy for their violations of women ... All women learn in childhood that women as a sex are men's prey" - Marilyn French

"All men are rapists and that's all they are" - Marilyn French, Authoress; (later, advisoress to Al Gore's Presidential Campaign)

"The media treat male assaults on women like rape, beating, and murder of wives and female lovers, or male incest with children, as individual aberrations ... obscuring the fact that all male violence toward women is part of a concerted campaign" - Marilyn French

"I believe that women have a capacity for understanding and compassion which man structurally does not have, does not have it because he cannot have it. He's just incapable of it" - Barbara Jordan, former congresswoman

"Probably the only place where a man can feel really secure is in a maximum security prison, except for the imminent threat of release" - [[Germaine Greer]]

"Man-hating is everywhere, but everywhere it is twisted and transformed, disguised, tranquilized, and qualified. It coexists, never peacefully, with the love, desire, respect, and need women also feel for men. Always man-hating is shadowed by its milder, more diplomatic and doubtful twin, ambivalence" - Judith Levine, Authoress

"I feel what they feel: man-hating, that volatile admixture of pity, contempt, disgust, envy, alienation, fear, and rage at men. It is hatred not only for the anonymous man who makes sucking noises on the street, not only for the rapist or the judge who acquits him, but for what the Greeks called philo-aphilos, 'hate in love' for the men women share their lives with - husbands, lovers, friends, fathers, brothers, sons, co-workers." - Judith Levine, Authoress of My Enemy, My love

"There are no boundaries between affectionate sex and slavery in (the male) world. Distinctions between pleasure and danger are academic; the dirty-laundrylist of 'sex acts' ... includes rape, foot binding, fellatio, intercourse, auto eroticism, incest, anal intercourse, use and production of pornography, cunnilingus, sexual harassment, and murder" - Judith Levine; summarizing comment on the WAS document (A Southern Women's Writing Collective: Women Against Sex)

((Delaney Nickerson, of the American Coalition for ABUSE AWARENESS, refers to the False Memory Syndrome Foundation as "The F---ing Molesters Society" (Miami Herald, April 3, 1995) The ACAA is a lobbying group, which includes Ellen Bass (co-author of THE COURAGE TO HEAL), and Rene Frederickson, leading feminist psychotherapist and strong proponent of repressed memory theory))

((At the STONE ANGELS satanic ritual abuse conference in Thunder Bay in February, 1995, the following was contained in the handouts at a conference supported financially by the Ontario Government: FMS stands for: FULL OF MOSTLY SH*T; FOR MORE SADISM; FELONS, MURDERERS, SCUMBALLS; FREQUENT MOLESTERS SOCIETY))

"Women have their faults / men have only two: / everything they say / everything they do" -- Popular Feminist Graffiti

"I was, in reality, bred by my parents as my father's concubine... What we take for granted as the stability of family life may well depend on the sexual slavery of our children. What's more, this is a cynical arrangement our institutions have colluded to conceal" - Sylvia Fraser, Journalist

Catharine MacKinnon maintains that "the private is a sphere of battery, marital rape and women's exploited labor." In this way, privacy and family are reduced to nothing more than aspects of the master plan, which is male domination. Democratic freedoms and the need to keep the state's nose out of our personal affairs are rendered meaningless. The real reason our society cherishes privacy is because men have invented it as an excuse to conceal their criminality. If people still insist that the traditional family is about love and mutual aid - ideals which, admittedly, are sometimes betrayed - they're "hiding from the truth" The family isn't a place where battery and marital rape sometimes happen but where little else apparently does. Sick men don't simply molest their daughters, they operate in league with their wives to "breed" them for that purpose - Donna Laframboise; The Princess at the Window (in a critical explication of the Catharine MacKinnon, Gloria Steinhem et al, tenets of misandric belief)

"If the classroom situation is very heteropatriarchal - a large beginning class of 50 to 60 students, say, with few feminist students - I am likely to define my task as largely one of recruitment ... of persuading students that women are oppressed" - Professor Joyce Trebilcot of Washington University, as quoted in Who Stole Feminism: How Women Have Betrayed Women

"Men, as a group, tend to be abusive, either verbally, sexually or emotionally. There are always the exceptions, but they are few and far between (I am married to one of them). There are different levels of violence and abuse and individual men buy into this system by varying degrees. But the male power structure always remains intact." - Message on FEMISA, responding to a request for arguments that men are unnecessary for a child to grow into mature adulthood.

Another posting on FEMISA: "Considering the nature and pervasiveness of men's violence, I would say that without question, children are better off being raised without the presence of men. Assaults on women and children are mostly perpetrated by men whom they are supposed to love and trust: fathers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers, step-fathers." (Both above quotes taken from Daphne Patai's excellent critical work, [[Heterophobia]])

"At Brandies I discovered Feminism. And I instantly became a convert... writing brilliant papers in my Myths of Patriarchy class, in which I likened my fate as a woman to other victims throughout the ages." - Heather Hart 7

Here are 10 reasons why we are concerned about feminism and the National Organisation for Women

1. "The simple fact is that every woman must be willing to be identified as a lesbian to be fully feminist" - National NOW Times, January, 1988

2. "Since marriage constitutes slavery for women, it is clear that the women's movement must concentrate on attacking this institution. Freedom for women cannot be won without the abolition of marriage" - feminist leader Sheila Cronan

3. In response to a question concerning China's policy of compulsory abortion after the first child, Molly Yard responded, "I consider the Chinese government's policy among the most intelligent in the world" - Gary Bauer, "Abetting Coercion in China" The Washington Times, Oct. 10, 1989

4. "Overthrowing capitalism is too small for us. We must overthrow the whole ... patriarch!" - [[Gloria Steinem]], radical feminist leader, editor of Ms. Magazine

5. "Marriage has existed for the benefit of men; and has been a legally sanctioned method of control over women.... We must work to destroy it. The end of the institution of marriage is a necessary condition for the liberation of women. Therefore it is important for us to encourage women to leave their husbands and not to live individually with men ... All of history must be re-written in terms of oppression of women. We must go back to ancient female religions like witchcraft" (from "The Declaration of Feminism" November, 1971)

6. "By the year 2000 we will, I hope, raise our children to believe in human potential, not God" - [[Gloria Steinem]], editor of Ms. Magazine)

7. "Let's forget about the mythical Jesus and look for encouragement, solace, and inspiration from real women ... Two thousand years of patriarchal rule under the shadow of the cross ought to be enough to turn women toward the feminist 'salvation' of this world" - Annie Laurie Gaylor, "Feminist Salvation," The Humanist, p. 37, July/August 1988

8. "In order to raise children with equality, we must take them away from families and communally raise them" - Dr. Mary Jo Bane, feminist and assistant professor of education at Wellesley College, and associate director of the school's Center for Research on Woman

9. "Being a housewife is an illegitimate profession... The choice to serve and be protected and plan towards being a family- maker is a choice that shouldn't be. The heart of radical feminism is to change that" - Vivian Gornick, feminist author, University of Illinois, The Daily Illini, April 25, 1981

10. "The most merciful thing a large family can to do one of its infant members is to kill it" - Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, in "Women and the New Race" p. 67

"Women's chains have been forged by men, not by anatomy." - Estelle R. Ramey

"I would have girls regard themselves not as adjectives but as nouns." - Elizabeth Cady Stanton, "Our Girls"

"We are, as a sex, infinitely superior to men" - Elizabeth Cady Stanton
From 'A feminist Dictionary; ed. Kramarae and Triechler, Pandora Press, 1985:

MALE: ... represents a variant of or deviation from the category of female. The first males were mutants ... the male sex represents a degeneration and deformity of the female

MAN: ... an obsolete life form ... an ordinary creature who needs to be watched ...a contradictory baby-man ...

TESTOSTERONE POISONING: ... 'Until now it has been though that the level of testosterone in men is normal simply because they have it. But if you consider how abnormal their behavior is, then you are led to the hypothesis that almost all men are suffering from "testosterone poisoning"

Letter to editor: "Women's Turn to Dominate" "... Clearly you are not yet a free-thinking feminist but rather one of those women who bounce off the male-dominated, male-controlled social structures. Who cares how men feel or what they do or whether they suffer? They have had over 2000 years to dominate and made a complete hash of it. Now it is our turn. My only comment to men is: if you don't like it, bad luck - and if you get in my way I'll run you down" Signed: Liberated Women, Boronia Herald-Sun, Melbourne, Australia. 9 February, 1996

“Feminism, Socialism, and Communism are one in the same, and Socialist/Communist government is the goal of feminism” - Catharine MacKinnon

The English novelist and critic [[Rebecca West]] said <ref>http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/r/rebecca_west.html</ref> :

<blockquote> "I myself have never been able to find out what feminism is; I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute." </blockquote>

The televangelist [[Pat Robertson]] said <ref> Fundraising letter, 1992 quoted on http://www.gainesvillehumanists.org/patr.htm </ref>:

<blockquote>"The [[Feminism|feminist agenda]] is not about equal rights for women. It is about a [[socialist]], anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, [[abortion|kill their children]], practice [[witchcraft]], destroy capitalism, and become [[Homosexuality|lesbian]]s." <ref>Pat Robertson, fund-raising letter, 1992</ref></blockquote>

==See also==
*[[Gender equality]]

==References==
<references/>

==External Links==
*[http://www.feministezine.com/feminist/ The Feminist eZine] Archive of articles about Feminist History.
*[http://www.cia-on-campus.org/surveil/steinem.html Gloria Steinem and the CIA], ''The New York Times'', February 21, 1967.
*[http://www.mail-archive.com/ctrl@listserv.aol.com/msg02217.html Inside the CIA with Gloria Steinem], Nancy Borman, ''The Village Voice''.

Planned Parenthood

2008-02-21T19:44:27Z

Captainrighteous:

The '''Planned Parenthood Federation of America''' operates clinics which perform [[abortion]]s and provide [[birth control]]<ref>'The controversial topic of "reproductive health services," better known as birth control, was one of many topics debated at the 2002 U.N. General Assembly Special Session for Children.' [http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june02/un_children.html (PBS)] </ref> and a limited amount of [[health care]]. Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in the United States. <ref>http://www.all.org/stopp/rr0404.htm</ref>
It performs nearly 200 times more abortions than referrals for adoption. <ref>http://www.lifenews.com/nat3104.html</ref>

Despite legally being classified as a non-profit organization, Planned Parenthood reported an average annual "surplus" of over $40 million from the fiscal years ending in 2001 through 2006.<ref>http://www.lifeissues.org/pp/index.html</ref>

The organization boasts that it provides "sexual and reproductive health care", but this is rather transparent code for [[abortion]] and [[contraception]]. {{fact}}

Planned Parenthood annually gives awards to those who support their agenda and the top award which they give is called The Margaret Sanger Award. <ref>http://www.mailman.hs.columbia.edu/news/e-newsletter/AtTheFrontline-vol1no3/ne-AR-Sanger-Award.html</ref>
<ref>http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are/ppfa-margaret-sanger-award-winners.htm</ref>

[[Margaret Sanger]] was the founder of Planned Parenthood and was also a proponent of [[eugenics]], along with being a member of both the [[American Eugenics Society]] and the [[English Eugenics Society]]. <ref>http://www.all.org/abac/contents.txt</ref>
<ref>http://www.lifeadvocate.org/1_98/feature.htm</ref>

[[Alan Guttmacher]], who was a President of Planned Parenthood from 1962 to 1974 and who was also former Vice-President of the American Eugenics Society,<ref>http://catholicwriter.wordpress.com/2007/01/29/what-is-roe-v-wade/</ref><ref>http://www.eugenics-watch.com/</ref>
stated: "We are merely walking down the path that Ms. Sanger has carved out for us." <ref>http://www.nationallifechain.org/PP.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.lifesite.net/waronfamily/Population_Control/Inherentracism.pdf</ref> Similarly, Faye Wattleton, who was the president of Planned Parenthood until 1992, stated that she was "proud" to be "walking in the footsteps" of Margaret Sanger.<ref>http://www.lifesite.net/waronfamily/Population_Control/Inherentracism.pdf</ref>

==Statements by founder Margaret Sanger==

"The most merciful thing that the large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it." <ref>http://www.bartleby.com/1013/5.html</ref>

"the mass of signficant Negroes, particularly in the South, still breed carelessly and disastrously, with the result that the increase among Negroes, even more than among whites, is [in] that portion of the population least intelligent and fit and least able to rear children properly." - Margaret Sanger - The "Negro Project" quoting [[W.E.B. DuBois]] with the omission of one word <ref>http://www.jstor.org/view/00147354/di975884/97p14282/1?frame=noframe&userID=80cdbf34@buffalo.edu/01cce4406300501bbf062&dpi=3&config=jstor</ref>

"Before eugenists and others who are laboring for racial betterment can succeed,
they must first clear the way for Birth Control. Like the advocates of Birth Control,
the eugenists, for instance, are seeking to assist the race toward the elimination of the unfit. Both are seeking a single end but they lay emphasis upon different methods. …"
<ref>http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/hypatia/v022/22.2sanger.html</ref>

"Organized charity is itself the symptom of a malignant social disease. Those vast complex, interrelated organizations aiming to control and to diminish the spread of misery and destitution and all the menacing evils that spring out of this sinisterly fertile soil, are the surest sign that our civilization has bred, is breeding and is perpetuating constantly increasing numbers of defectives, delinquents and dependents. My criticism therefore, is not directed at the ‘failure’ of philanthropy, but rather at its success" - Margaret Sanger, ''The Pivot of Civilization'' [NY: Brentano's, 1922], p. 108).<ref>http://www.worldwideschool.org/library/books/socl/socialconcerns/ThePivotofCivilization/chap6.html</ref>

In Margaret Sanger's book ''The Pivot of Civilization'' she also called for the elimination of "human weeds," for the segregation of "morons, misfits, and maladjusted," and for the sterilization of "genetically inferior races." <ref>http://www.ewtn.com/library/prolife/pp04a.txt</ref>

==Deaths,Lawsuits, Grand Juries==
===Deaths===
*Edrica Goode, 21, died Feb. 14, 2007, who died from a botched abortion when a nurse attempted an abortion despite signs indicative of infection.<ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56394 Who's to blame when aborting women die?], Jill Stanek, ''WorldNetDaily.com'', June 27, 2007.</ref>

[[Michelle Malkin]] comments on the deaths of several patients at Planned Parenthood clinics.<ref> [http://michellemalkin.com/2007/06/21/the-forgotten-victims-of-planned-parenthood/ The forgotten victims of Planned Parenthood]</ref>

===Lawsuits===
====Phill Kline v. Planned Parenthood====
"In Kansas, Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline charged Comprehensive Health Of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid Missouri with 107 criminal charges after a District Court judge reviewed the evidence and found probable cause that crimes have been committed." <ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23937 Phill Kline v. Planned Parenthood], Brian Burch, ''[[Human Events]]'', 12/13/2007</ref>
"The Comprehensive Health for Women clinic is being charged with 29 counts of performing illegal late term abortions; 20 counts of unlawful failure to determine the viability of late term abortions; 23 felony counts of making false information and 27 counts for unlawful failure to maintain records." <ref>[http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=3170 Kansas Planned Parenthood Clinic Charged With 107 Violations Of Law], ''[[Traditional Values Coalition]]'', November 1, 2007</ref> <ref>[http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=3175 Kansas Planned Parenthood Clinic Charged Over Illegal Late-Term Abortions], Andrea Lafferty, ''[[Traditional Values Coalition]]'', November, 2007</ref>

====Malpractice====
The San Jose Mercury News reports that the mother of a young woman who died at a Riverside, Calif., Planned Parenthood clinic has sued the abortion provider blaming malpractice for her daughter’s toxic shock syndrome death.(requires account registration)<ref>[http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_6195970?nclick_check=1]</ref>

===Grand Juries===
====Overland Park, Kansas====
A Grand Jury met on December 10, 2007 to begin an investigation into the practices of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Overland Park, Kansas. <ref>[http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=3203 Grand Jury Convenes On Kansas Planned Parenthood Clinic], '[[Traditional Values Coalition]]'', December 6, 2007</ref>

== Planned Parenthood and Charges of Targeting Minority Communities ==

According to writer George Grant author of ''Killing Angel'':

"During the 1980s when Planned Parenthood shifted its focus from community-based clinics to school-based clinics, it again targeted inner-city minority neighborhoods...Of the more than 100 school-based clinics that have opened nationwide in the last decade [1980s], none has been at substantially all-white schools....None has been at suburban middle-class schools. All have been at black, minority or ethnic schools.” <ref>http://www.citizenreviewonline.org/special_issues/population/the_negro_project.htm</ref>

Planned Parenthood itself reported that its abortions on minorities in 1991 was 42.7% of its total abortions. <ref>http://www.ewtn.com/library/PROLIFE/PPRACISM.TXT</ref>. However, during that time period, minorities comprised only 19.7% of the U.S. population.<ref>http://www.ewtn.com/library/PROLIFE/PPRACISM.TXT</ref>

According to [[Cybercast News Service]]: "An analysis by the Cybercast News Service compared the location of Planned Parenthood abortion clinics with population data from the U.S. Census in 2000. The results appear to bolster the charge that the organization targets black communities."<ref>http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=%5CSpecialReports%5Carchive%5C200502%5CSPE20050207a.html</ref>

== Minority Employees Charge Planned Parenthood with Racism ==

Recently, several minority employees of Planned Parenthood have filed multiple complaints of racism against the organization and they stated they were the target of constant slurs in a hostile, anti-male environment controlled by white women.<ref>http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40023</ref> An employee who is charging Planned Parenthood with discrimination said that a complaint was forwarded to Planned Parenthood human resources department and nothing was ever done about it and later he was put on probation and subsequently fired. <ref>http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40023</ref> Attorney Richard D. Ackerman, the lead attorney for two claimants, stated "This is a really sad state of affairs. It is unfortunate to find out that [Planned Parenthood, Los Angelos] PPLA, as a self-proclaimed promoter of 'tolerance and diversity,' is engaging in what appears to be the most primitive form of hate against its own employees." <ref>http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/aug/04081909.html</ref>

== Planned Parenthood's Teen Website Gets It Barred from California High School ==
A California father looked at Planned Parenthood's teen website and found it disgusting and vile. <ref>http://www.all.org/stopp/st020627.htm</ref>
The father shared what he learned about the site to the school board and they were so shocked they cancelled Planned Parenthood's appearance at the school which is in Coronado, California.<ref>http://www.all.org/stopp/st020627.htm</ref>

== Planned Parenthood and Requests to Issue a Formal Apology ==
Planned Parenthood has been asked to issue a formal apology for what they did under Margaret Sanger's leadership and stop giving awards in Margaret Sanger's name but Planned Parenthood refuses to do so. <ref>http://www.cnsnews.com/Culture/Archive/200205/CUL20020506a.html</ref>

== Planned Parenthood and Charges It Still Carries Out Racist and Eugenic Policies ==
A critic of Planned Parenthood wrote:

<blockquote style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA; padding: .3em;">
"In the latter half of the 1960s, Planned Parenthood and similar groups spent
millions of dollars promoting the idea that the U.S. was in the midst of a
dangerous population explosion. The idea was so absurd it could be disproved
in five minutes at any public library. Caught up in the hysteria, however,
the nation's news media never questioned why groups were warning of a
"population bomb" in the midst of plummeting birth rates.
</blockquote>

<blockquote style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA; padding: .3em;">
Among friends, Planned Parenthood officials described the real situation. On
August 11, 1965, Dr. Robert Nelson, Medical Director of Planned Parenthood of
metropolitan Washington, spoke at the Senate "Baby Boom" hearings. He noted
that in Washington, DC, "the less well-off economic section birth rate is
29/1000 and going up; the rate of the economically more secure group is
16/1000 and going down."<ref>http://www.ewtn.com/library/PROLIFE/PPHISTRY.TXT</ref>
</blockquote>

Some critics of Planned Parenthood charge that it has a history of racist and eugenic policies and still carries out those policies.<ref>http://www.citizenreviewonline.org/special_issues/population/the_negro_project.htm</ref><ref>http://www.leaderu.com/humanities/casey/ch3.html</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==See Also==
[[Previous Breaking News/Planned Parenthood|Articles about '''Planned Parenthood''' from previous "Breaking News"]]

==External Links==
*[http://www.plannedparenthood.org/ Planned Parenthood Federation of America]
*[http://www.all.org/stopp/plan.htm American Life League presents STOPP International]
*[http://www.ldi.org/ LifeDynamics.com]
*[http://www.newsbusters.org/node/11573 LA Times Writer Eludes Truth On Planned Parenthood Founder]

[[Category: Abortion]]

Planned Parenthood

2008-02-21T19:39:53Z

Captainrighteous:

The '''Planned Parenthood Federation of America''' operates clinics which perform [[abortion]]s and provide [[birth control]]<ref>'The controversial topic of "reproductive health services," better known as birth control, was one of many topics debated at the 2002 U.N. General Assembly Special Session for Children.' [http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june02/un_children.html (PBS)] </ref> and a limited amount of [[health care]]. Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in the United States. <ref>http://www.all.org/stopp/rr0404.htm</ref>
It performs nearly 200 times more abortions than referrals for adoption. <ref>http://www.lifenews.com/nat3104.html</ref>

Despite legally being classified as a non-profit organization, Planned Parenthood reported an average annual "surplus" of over $40 million from the fiscal years ending in 2001 through 2006.<ref>http://www.lifeissues.org/pp/index.html</ref>

The organization boasts that it provides "sexual and reproductive health care", but this is rather transparent code for [[abortion]] and [[contraception]].[[citation needed]]

Planned Parenthood annually gives awards to those who support their agenda and the top award which they give is called The Margaret Sanger Award. <ref>http://www.mailman.hs.columbia.edu/news/e-newsletter/AtTheFrontline-vol1no3/ne-AR-Sanger-Award.html</ref>
<ref>http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are/ppfa-margaret-sanger-award-winners.htm</ref>

[[Margaret Sanger]] was the founder of Planned Parenthood and was also a proponent of [[eugenics]], along with being a member of both the [[American Eugenics Society]] and the [[English Eugenics Society]]. <ref>http://www.all.org/abac/contents.txt</ref>
<ref>http://www.lifeadvocate.org/1_98/feature.htm</ref>

[[Alan Guttmacher]], who was a President of Planned Parenthood from 1962 to 1974 and who was also former Vice-President of the American Eugenics Society,<ref>http://catholicwriter.wordpress.com/2007/01/29/what-is-roe-v-wade/</ref><ref>http://www.eugenics-watch.com/</ref>
stated: "We are merely walking down the path that Ms. Sanger has carved out for us." <ref>http://www.nationallifechain.org/PP.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.lifesite.net/waronfamily/Population_Control/Inherentracism.pdf</ref> Similarly, Faye Wattleton, who was the president of Planned Parenthood until 1992, stated that she was "proud" to be "walking in the footsteps" of Margaret Sanger.<ref>http://www.lifesite.net/waronfamily/Population_Control/Inherentracism.pdf</ref>

==Statements by founder Margaret Sanger==

"The most merciful thing that the large family does to one of its infant members is to kill it." <ref>http://www.bartleby.com/1013/5.html</ref>

"the mass of signficant Negroes, particularly in the South, still breed carelessly and disastrously, with the result that the increase among Negroes, even more than among whites, is [in] that portion of the population least intelligent and fit and least able to rear children properly." - Margaret Sanger - The "Negro Project" quoting [[W.E.B. DuBois]] with the omission of one word <ref>http://www.jstor.org/view/00147354/di975884/97p14282/1?frame=noframe&userID=80cdbf34@buffalo.edu/01cce4406300501bbf062&dpi=3&config=jstor</ref>

"Before eugenists and others who are laboring for racial betterment can succeed,
they must first clear the way for Birth Control. Like the advocates of Birth Control,
the eugenists, for instance, are seeking to assist the race toward the elimination of the unfit. Both are seeking a single end but they lay emphasis upon different methods. …"
<ref>http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/hypatia/v022/22.2sanger.html</ref>

"Organized charity is itself the symptom of a malignant social disease. Those vast complex, interrelated organizations aiming to control and to diminish the spread of misery and destitution and all the menacing evils that spring out of this sinisterly fertile soil, are the surest sign that our civilization has bred, is breeding and is perpetuating constantly increasing numbers of defectives, delinquents and dependents. My criticism therefore, is not directed at the ‘failure’ of philanthropy, but rather at its success" - Margaret Sanger, ''The Pivot of Civilization'' [NY: Brentano's, 1922], p. 108).<ref>http://www.worldwideschool.org/library/books/socl/socialconcerns/ThePivotofCivilization/chap6.html</ref>

In Margaret Sanger's book ''The Pivot of Civilization'' she also called for the elimination of "human weeds," for the segregation of "morons, misfits, and maladjusted," and for the sterilization of "genetically inferior races." <ref>http://www.ewtn.com/library/prolife/pp04a.txt</ref>

==Deaths,Lawsuits, Grand Juries==
===Deaths===
*Edrica Goode, 21, died Feb. 14, 2007, who died from a botched abortion when a nurse attempted an abortion despite signs indicative of infection.<ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56394 Who's to blame when aborting women die?], Jill Stanek, ''WorldNetDaily.com'', June 27, 2007.</ref>

[[Michelle Malkin]] comments on the deaths of several patients at Planned Parenthood clinics.<ref> [http://michellemalkin.com/2007/06/21/the-forgotten-victims-of-planned-parenthood/ The forgotten victims of Planned Parenthood]</ref>

===Lawsuits===
====Phill Kline v. Planned Parenthood====
"In Kansas, Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline charged Comprehensive Health Of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid Missouri with 107 criminal charges after a District Court judge reviewed the evidence and found probable cause that crimes have been committed." <ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23937 Phill Kline v. Planned Parenthood], Brian Burch, ''[[Human Events]]'', 12/13/2007</ref>
"The Comprehensive Health for Women clinic is being charged with 29 counts of performing illegal late term abortions; 20 counts of unlawful failure to determine the viability of late term abortions; 23 felony counts of making false information and 27 counts for unlawful failure to maintain records." <ref>[http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=3170 Kansas Planned Parenthood Clinic Charged With 107 Violations Of Law], ''[[Traditional Values Coalition]]'', November 1, 2007</ref> <ref>[http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=3175 Kansas Planned Parenthood Clinic Charged Over Illegal Late-Term Abortions], Andrea Lafferty, ''[[Traditional Values Coalition]]'', November, 2007</ref>

====Malpractice====
The San Jose Mercury News reports that the mother of a young woman who died at a Riverside, Calif., Planned Parenthood clinic has sued the abortion provider blaming malpractice for her daughter’s toxic shock syndrome death.(requires account registration)<ref>[http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_6195970?nclick_check=1]</ref>

===Grand Juries===
====Overland Park, Kansas====
A Grand Jury met on December 10, 2007 to begin an investigation into the practices of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Overland Park, Kansas. <ref>[http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=3203 Grand Jury Convenes On Kansas Planned Parenthood Clinic], '[[Traditional Values Coalition]]'', December 6, 2007</ref>

== Planned Parenthood and Charges of Targeting Minority Communities ==

According to writer George Grant author of ''Killing Angel'':

"During the 1980s when Planned Parenthood shifted its focus from community-based clinics to school-based clinics, it again targeted inner-city minority neighborhoods...Of the more than 100 school-based clinics that have opened nationwide in the last decade [1980s], none has been at substantially all-white schools....None has been at suburban middle-class schools. All have been at black, minority or ethnic schools.” <ref>http://www.citizenreviewonline.org/special_issues/population/the_negro_project.htm</ref>

Planned Parenthood itself reported that its abortions on minorities in 1991 was 42.7% of its total abortions. <ref>http://www.ewtn.com/library/PROLIFE/PPRACISM.TXT</ref>. However, during that time period, minorities comprised only 19.7% of the U.S. population.<ref>http://www.ewtn.com/library/PROLIFE/PPRACISM.TXT</ref>

According to [[Cybercast News Service]]: "An analysis by the Cybercast News Service compared the location of Planned Parenthood abortion clinics with population data from the U.S. Census in 2000. The results appear to bolster the charge that the organization targets black communities."<ref>http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewSpecialReports.asp?Page=%5CSpecialReports%5Carchive%5C200502%5CSPE20050207a.html</ref>

== Minority Employees Charge Planned Parenthood with Racism ==

Recently, several minority employees of Planned Parenthood have filed multiple complaints of racism against the organization and they stated they were the target of constant slurs in a hostile, anti-male environment controlled by white women.<ref>http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40023</ref> An employee who is charging Planned Parenthood with discrimination said that a complaint was forwarded to Planned Parenthood human resources department and nothing was ever done about it and later he was put on probation and subsequently fired. <ref>http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40023</ref> Attorney Richard D. Ackerman, the lead attorney for two claimants, stated "This is a really sad state of affairs. It is unfortunate to find out that [Planned Parenthood, Los Angelos] PPLA, as a self-proclaimed promoter of 'tolerance and diversity,' is engaging in what appears to be the most primitive form of hate against its own employees." <ref>http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/aug/04081909.html</ref>

== Planned Parenthood's Teen Website Gets It Barred from California High School ==
A California father looked at Planned Parenthood's teen website and found it disgusting and vile. <ref>http://www.all.org/stopp/st020627.htm</ref>
The father shared what he learned about the site to the school board and they were so shocked they cancelled Planned Parenthood's appearance at the school which is in Coronado, California.<ref>http://www.all.org/stopp/st020627.htm</ref>

== Planned Parenthood and Requests to Issue a Formal Apology ==
Planned Parenthood has been asked to issue a formal apology for what they did under Margaret Sanger's leadership and stop giving awards in Margaret Sanger's name but Planned Parenthood refuses to do so. <ref>http://www.cnsnews.com/Culture/Archive/200205/CUL20020506a.html</ref>

== Planned Parenthood and Charges It Still Carries Out Racist and Eugenic Policies ==
A critic of Planned Parenthood wrote:

<blockquote style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA; padding: .3em;">
"In the latter half of the 1960s, Planned Parenthood and similar groups spent
millions of dollars promoting the idea that the U.S. was in the midst of a
dangerous population explosion. The idea was so absurd it could be disproved
in five minutes at any public library. Caught up in the hysteria, however,
the nation's news media never questioned why groups were warning of a
"population bomb" in the midst of plummeting birth rates.
</blockquote>

<blockquote style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA; padding: .3em;">
Among friends, Planned Parenthood officials described the real situation. On
August 11, 1965, Dr. Robert Nelson, Medical Director of Planned Parenthood of
metropolitan Washington, spoke at the Senate "Baby Boom" hearings. He noted
that in Washington, DC, "the less well-off economic section birth rate is
29/1000 and going up; the rate of the economically more secure group is
16/1000 and going down."<ref>http://www.ewtn.com/library/PROLIFE/PPHISTRY.TXT</ref>
</blockquote>

Some critics of Planned Parenthood charge that it has a history of racist and eugenic policies and still carries out those policies.<ref>http://www.citizenreviewonline.org/special_issues/population/the_negro_project.htm</ref><ref>http://www.leaderu.com/humanities/casey/ch3.html</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==See Also==
[[Previous Breaking News/Planned Parenthood|Articles about '''Planned Parenthood''' from previous "Breaking News"]]

==External Links==
*[http://www.plannedparenthood.org/ Planned Parenthood Federation of America]
*[http://www.all.org/stopp/plan.htm American Life League presents STOPP International]
*[http://www.ldi.org/ LifeDynamics.com]
*[http://www.newsbusters.org/node/11573 LA Times Writer Eludes Truth On Planned Parenthood Founder]

[[Category: Abortion]]