<Begin Segment 11>

AI: I wanted to ask you, Ike, about organizations that you've been involved with, and one that was rather controversial at the time was Planned Parenthood. And if you could talk about -- now, in 1965, you were active on one of their committees. And times have changed so much between then and now. What was the attitude toward Planned Parenthood at that time?

TI: Oh, it was quite negative. It was just a taboo subject. There was very little community support for it. So that was interesting, because of that, well -- let's fight it. [Laughs] So being involved in such groups was in line with my philosophy in the work I did at the agency of righting wrongs, organizing to do that, and bringing people's attention to the issues that that particular agency was about. And so as a Nisei I didn't feel intimidated by it at all. I enjoyed it.

AI: Now, Planned Parenthood was well-known for providing contraception education, birth control education...

TI: Yeah.

AI: ...to young people?

TI: Yeah.

AI: And at that time...

TI: Oh, this was back in '65, that's quite early. Now it's a little better. In fact, it was interesting how the two vice president candidates related to the issue of abortion, about that particular pill. And so at least for those two gentlemen, they were able, as gentlemen, to talk about it.

AI: And you're referring to last night, we had the vice presidential debates...

TI: Yes.

AI: ...between Cheney and Lieberman.

TI: Yeah.

AI: And of course, abortion has been legal in the U.S. for some time. But in 1965, abortion was still illegal.

TI: Yeah.

AI: Now, when you got involved in Planned Parenthood and the issues of contraception education, I'm assuming that's partly because of the population that you were serving. You were serving youth and young people?

TI: Yeah. Yeah. It was, there was a connection with the agency's direction of services. And you just can't focus, just emphasis on that kid and family, but you got to look at the environment in which they were living in. And Planned Parenthood in my eyes, was providing a needed service. And even though it was not being accepted by the general community, I just felt it was appropriate and something that had to be done.

<End Segment 11> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.