Born on Sept. 14, 1879, in Corning, New York, Sanger dedicated her life to advocating for women’s autonomy over their bodies, challenging societal taboos and revolutionizing access to reproductive health services.
Early Life and Career
Growing up in a working-class Irish Catholic family, Sanger witnessed firsthand the struggles of women in impoverished communities, particularly the health risks associated with multiple pregnancies and unsafe abortions. She was born sixth of 11 children and her mother also had seven miscarriages.
She attended Claverack College in New York where she became interested in women’s suffrage. Afterward she taught immigrant children in first grade until her mother contracted tuberculosis and Sanger had to return home to care for her.
It was then she started reading medical books about her mother’s condition and became interested in the medical field.
In 1900 she started taking nursing courses. As a nurse in training, she often had pregnant women begging her for information on how to prevent future pregnancies. It led her to write a series in a newspaper called “What Every Girl Should Know” about the female reproductive system.
She was eventually charged with violating the Comstock Act, which forbid “obscene or sexually explicit language” from being sent through the mail. She was told that discussing sexually transmitted diseases was obscene.
She served as a nurse, often in the poorest part of New York City, delivering infants. She watched women die or become seriously ill from attempts to end their pregnancies — they drank turpentine or inserted instruments into their wombs.
Inspired by her experiences as a nurse, Sanger embarked on a lifelong mission to empower women with knowledge and access to contraception, thereby enabling them to control their fertility and reproductive destinies.
When she could not learn about contraceptive methods in the U.S., she went to France where it was not illegal to talk about it.
Planned Parenthood
In 1916, Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in the United States in Brooklyn, New York, risking arrest and imprisonment to provide women with contraceptive information and services.
Despite facing legal challenges and opposition, Sanger remained steadfast in her commitment to reproductive rights, advocating for the legalization of birth control and challenging societal norms surrounding sexuality and family planning.
In 1921, Sanger founded the American Birth Control League, which later evolved into Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Through Planned Parenthood, Sanger established clinics nationwide, offering birth control counseling, contraceptives and reproductive health care services to women of all backgrounds.
Campaign for Reproductive Rights
Sanger’s activism extended beyond the clinic walls, as she campaigned for women’s reproductive rights and the legalization of birth control. She lobbied lawmakers, delivered impassioned speeches and wrote extensively on the importance of reproductive autonomy and family planning education.
Sanger’s advocacy efforts culminated in landmark legal victories, including the 1965 Supreme Court ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut, which legalized contraception for married couples. The rule came one year before her death in Tucson on Sept. 6, 1966
Legacy
Margaret Sanger’s legacy is indelibly linked to the advancement of women’s reproductive rights and health care reform.
Her pioneering work laid the foundation for modern contraceptive methods, reshaped public discourse on sexuality and reproductive health and empowered generations of women to take control of their bodies and futures.