Sixty anti-abortion rights billboards placed throughout Oakland in mid-June have created controversy and generated publicity for the groups that sponsored them. Now they’re coming down. #
Critics argued that the ads — which were aimed directly at African-Americans — were racist and too controversial to stay up. The billboards have all gone down within the past week. Some argue that pressure campaigns ultimately led to their removal, but a representative for CBS Outdoor, the company that manages the billboards, says the contract simply “ran its course.” #
The billboards are a joint effort of the Radiance Foundation and the California-based Issues4Life Foundation, and were part of a campaign to “expose Planned Parenthood’s racist and eugenics-based history,” according to a press release. The billboards contained a picture of an African-American child, alongside the words “Black & Beautiful,” with a link to toomanyaborted.com/ca, a site devoted to accusing Planned Parenthood of targeting minorities for abortions. #
Similar billboards, sponsored by different groups, Heroic Media and Life Always, have gone up around the country, but have been removed due to controversy. #
