Was Martin Luther King, Jr. Pro-life?

A lot of controversy exists surrounding whether or not Martin Luther King, Jr. was pro-life.  Of course he was, right?  He was the greatest civil rights leader of our time!  But because he was asassinated prior to the Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973, and because there don't seem to be any quotes from him directly related to abortion, there is a lot of uncertainty about his views on the issue.  His niece, Dr. Alveda King, is an avid pro-life activist and insists that yes, her uncle would have indeed fought for the protection of the unborn.

Unfortunately, abortion-rights activists attempt to claim that Dr. King would have fought for abortion/women's "reproductive" rights.  There is some basis here...in 1966 he was given a Planned Parenthood award in honor Margaret Sanger.  Of course, this was prior to the legalization of abortion, but can we assume that his acceptance of the award proved his acceptance of Sanger's utilitarian, population-control beliefs as well?   On the other hand, it's important to note that his wife, a known pro-abort, accepted the award on his behalf, so the jury is still out on whether or not he actually wanted to accept the award.  He himself did not even attend the ceremony.

But -- assuming that Dr. King did agree to and allow his wife to accept the award in his honor, this is certainly a dichotomy, as Sanger was also an avid proponent of the extermination of the black race.

So what would Dr. King say today of the disproportionate number of black babies aborted in this country, often referred to as "black genocide?"

In Delaware alone, almost as many black babies are aborted as are born.  Nationally, 78% of Planned Parenthood's clinics are in minority communities. Blacks make up 12% of the population, but 35% of the abortions in America.  Are they being targeted?  If so, isn't that indeed genocide?  And wouldn't Dr. King protest this behavior?

One of Dr. King's most famous quotes is, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere…The Negro cannot win if he is willing to sacrifice the lives of his children for personal comfort and safety." 

Many of today's prominent black pro-life leaders affirm Dr. King's presumed pro-life views.  Most prominently, Alveda King maintains that her uncle's civil rights activism extended to those in the womb.  She has written an open letter to leaders in the black community attesting to it.

Personally, I would of course like to think that Martin Luther King, Jr.'s civil rights activism encompassed unborn children, because I believe that abortion is the greatest civil rights issue of our nation's history.  But I really just can't get past the Margaret Sanger award, whether his wife accepted it or not.  She was black too, so why on earth would she accept an award in honor of a eugenist? 

I applaud the work Alveda King does on behalf of the unborn and she is a fearless leader in the black community.  I can only hope that she truly is carrying on her uncle's legacy.