BY CHELYEN DAVIS

Some members of Fredericksburg's black community are upset over campaign fliers they say unfairly link state Sen. Edd Houck to racism.

The Rev. Lawrence Davies, a former city mayor, said he was "outraged" when he saw the flier with the headline "Would you support killing African-American babies?"

The flier comes from No Excuse Ministry, run by Fredericksburg resident Terry Beatley. Beatley is a parental-rights and anti-abortion activist who has been working this fall to oust Houck based on his votes in the state Senate on bills related to abortion and parental rights.

This particular flier says that Margaret Sanger, an early advocate of birth control whose work led to the founding of Planned Parenthood, was a racist who gave talks to the Ku Klux Klan, and that Planned Parenthood puts abortion clinics in black neighborhoods "not by accident."

The flier says that Houck is supported by Planned Parenthood and that voters in the 17th state Senate district should vote against Houck and "save our children from the abortion industry's agenda."

Davies said he was particularly upset by the flier's headline.

"What is it that they say in here that indicates the person who supports Sen. Houck would be killing African-American babies?" Davies said.

He said he's never heard of a "black genocide agenda" from Planned Parenthood.

"I don't know of any abortion facilities in the black neighborhoods here," Davies added.

Beatley says Davies should have heard of these issues, as she's been talking about them frequently, and is screening a film, "Maafa 21," about "black genocide" at Strong Towers Ministry on Monday night.

"Abortion very much affects Fredericksburg," Beatley said.

Sanger's work in the early 20th century to introduce birth control in African-American communities has been controversial, and it is at the root of accusations that she was a racist and that Planned Parenthood is racist.

Anti-abortion groups also point to Sanger's support for certain aspects of the eugenics movement as evidence that Planned Parenthood is racist. Pro-abortion rights groups say their opponents misconstrue Sanger's views.

Beatley says she's simply trying to educate voters about Houck's voting record and Planned Parenthood's agenda.

"I'm trying to get people to become aware when we're voting for legislators who so wholeheartedly support Planned Parenthood. They need to understand the connection," Beatley said.