Margaret Sanger

Throughout my college career I have had several courses involving feminism and many of the women who fought for women's rights in America. With the wide variety of women I could discuss, I chose Margaret Sanger because over all, her fight for birth control and Planned Parenthood fascinates me most. Without her hard work and dedication to the fight, women might not have the rights over their bodies that they do today.


Margaret Sanger was born in 1879 and died in 1966, giving her 86 long years of life to fight for what she believed in. She became interested in the issue of birth control because she was a nurse who witnessed many poor women become ill and even lose their lives due to illegal abortions and trying to terminate their pregnancies themselves. She was tired of women not being able to make choices over their own bodies, so she decided to do something about it.

"No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother." -Margaret Sanger

Sanger began her fight for women's rights to birth control and control over their bodies in 1912 by publishing articles in local newspapers to inform people on this issue. In 1914 she started her own publication called "The Women Rebel," which promoted birth control and ultimately got her in trouble causing her to flee the country. She was found guilty through the Comstock Act of 1873, which forbids any "obscene" material from being mailed, and of course in that day and age birth control was absolutely "obscene," which I think is ridiculous.

In 1915, she returned to the United States after doing some research on the topic in England. She took a big part in several court cases that involved the legalization of contraceptives in the U.S. and after a long hard battle, she opened the very first birth control clinic in 1916 and was the founder of Planned Parenthood, but it was not an easy journey. Today, Planned Parenthood recognizes her as a woman of heroic accomplishments, which is exactly what she is.


Sources:

“Margaret Sanger.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 28 Apr. 2017, www.biography.com/people/margaret-sanger-9471186. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.

“Margaret Sanger - Our Founder.” Planned Parenthood , Planned Parenthood Federation of America , June 2016, www.plannedparenthood.org/files/9214/7612/8734/Sanger_Fact_Sheet_Oct_2016.pdf. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.