Ad company pulls NYC anti-abortion billboard

A controversial anti-abortion billboard picturing a young African-American girl with text stating 'The most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb,' is seen February 24, 2011 in New York City. / Getty Images

Updated at 12:41 p.m. ET

NEW YORK - An outdoor advertising company has taken down a New York City anti-abortion billboard that showed a black girl along with the tagline, "The most dangerous place for an African-American is in the womb."

(Scroll down to watch a report from CBS News station WCBS-TV in New York)

A manager for Louisiana-based Lamar Advertising confirmed Thursday the company had decided to take down the billboard. Some black residents said they found it offensive.

The Rev. Al Sharpton praised the decision and canceled plans to protest the billboard.

The removal was ordered three weeks before the billboard was scheduled to come down, CBS News station WCBS-TV in New York reports.

"They got a lot of attention, but they may not have gotten a lot of support," Sharpton told WCBS-TV.

The Texas-based group behind the billboard, Life Always, released a statement that it "strongly disagrees with Lamar Outdoor's decision to remove the billboard ... but the billboard's message holds true ... that abortion is outpacing life in the black community."

"The survival of our country, our nation, is tied to the woman's womb," the Rev. Stephen Broden of Life Always told WCBS-TV.

The billboard was placed in a busy Manhattan neighborhood as part of a national campaign tied to Black History Month. Life Always said its message highlights Planned Parenthood's "targeting of minority neighborhoods."

Planned Parenthood called the advertisement a "condescending effort to stigmatize and shame African-American women."

The billboard was gone by early Friday.

[random_radar]

It is no coincidence that abortion was legalized shortly after the civil rights movement won so many victories in the 60's. Abortion is genocide against minorities by the white elite who rule America and hate minorities. The Federal Government wants to subsidize abortion to exterminate the "undesireables."

You want to know who the real haters are? Its the liberals who promote abortion to eliminate as many blacks as they can before they are even born. African Americans who supports abortion are traitors to their race and people. Whites who support abortion are fostering genocide. Its time to be honest as a nation and moral people need to see the situation for what it is.

[ccdsswrkr08]

Wow. Talk about living with blinders on.

[Paul_I]

Yet another thread revealing the dangers of people taking hard positions based on ignorance.

[cvanoff]

I love how the anti-abortion movement portrays unwanted children as well-fed, well-groomed, and dressed in the latest designer duds. The reality is quite far removed from this.

[dogsoul]

(begin sarcasm)...yeah, we should just knock off kids that don't have designer clothes, or that have messed up hair or are too skinny - after all, they should have been executed long ago...(end sarcasm)

[cvanoff]

dogsoul, is there supposed to be some logic to your comment? Please enlighten us.

[BCSaugerties]

It is all too sad that it is true. I have no doubt that under the guise of offering choices to people to end human lives in the womb beats the cold blooded hearts of people that would gladly exterminate people they deem inferior. Everyone I am sure would be happy if abortion was safe, legal and RARE . To promote abortion as a means of birth control is legally sanctioned murder. Maybe we had ought to change our vernacular and focus to 'conception control' and give those that are conceived a right to be born and become persons.

[smitvict]

You are entitled to your OPINION. So is everybody else. I also take offense that you think abortion in the black community is a way to "exterminate people they deem inferior". That message is nowhere in the ad.

[MissMeYetAbdullah]

Why do you "have no doubt"? Do you have any reason to believe your ridiculous statement, or does it just spring from your own cancerous hatred? Since the Bible does NOT condemn abortion or support your implied view that personhood begins at conception, where does your belief spring from?

[fcs25]

Some people[liberals,aka Democrats]can't face the truth that abortion kills a living growing child.So what do you do? Hide the truth and hype and spin the lies.

[MissMeYetAbdullah]

And most Christians. Let the light of Jesus into your life and embrace His eternal Truth.

[MissMeYetAbdullah]

Oh, no, Delta88. This is what makes life fun. The Answer is that there IS no Answer.

[goboblue]

So, NO MATTER if the Ad is TRUE, its RACIST, so therefore its UN-ACCEPTABLE.

TALK ABOUT "The culture of Victimization" and its continuance...IDIOTS.

[MissMeYetAbdullah]

Lessee...
Here's MY billboard:
"ADOLPH HITLER--WHITE, GERMAN, AND DANGEROUS!
SIXTY MILLION DEAD WORLDWIDE--WHEN A WHITE MAN RUNS YOUR COUNTRY, PEOPLE DIE!"
Every statement in that "billboard" is true.
Where do you live, sweetcheeks? Let's put one up with a big arrow pointing towards YOUR trailer.

[shippg]

Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, was a committed eugenicist. That means a person who believes in improving the human race by selectively eliminating undesirable elements. She fervently wanted to get rid of Blacks, and talked about sterilization and then abortion. All this information is easily found on the Internet. Today most PP clinics are found in Black neighborhoods. A big one was just built in a Black neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. The statistics speak for themselves - 60% of black children are aborted. The mothers are usually single and/or forced by their boyfriends/husbands to abort. It has become a cultural cancer.

As you can see from the secret videos recently made, PP is only out for profit, whether or not a person (even a pre-teen) is being abused or exploited or trafficked by pimps. They do not want to hear the facts.

[MissMeYetAbdullah]

SO WHAT?
For God's sake, find an issue, you racist fool. Henry Ford hated Jews, so nobody should drive a Focus?

[goboblue]

Oh BULL. The REASON most PP clinics ARE IN BLACK AREAS is because places like The University of Michigan School of Public Health **DOES OUTREACH THERE**--BECAUSE **BLACKS** USE THE CLINICS (i.e. "get knocked-up") and ABORT ***MORE THAN*** ANY OTHER racial group in the U.S.

SO, you FOOL, GO ATTACK BARACK OBAMA, who SUPPORTS THESE CLINICS in these AREAS.

[not_fooled_by_Righties]

You people are stupid.

Planned Parenthood is the only doctors some women can afford to go to for ANY women's health care.

Abortion is a SMALL part of the services they provide. They provide other lifesaving care to women. Mammograms, birth control, std testing to name a few.

[GottaLuvItt]

Kudos to your comment, very well said. Shame on these idiots. The same ones who will turn their backs when a child needs food, shelter, etc.