Margaret Sanger: Pioneer of Birth Control

After a year of studying medical materials and medical opinions and learning as much as she possibly could about contraceptives, she started a journal, “Woman Rebel.” This material pleaded with women to “look the whole world in the face with a go-to-hell look in the eyes; to have an ideal; to speak and act in defiance of convention.” Though the journal focused mainly on social revolution, it did bring mention to birth control and its necessity. The journal was banned by the postal service after a mere seven issues.

After the banning of Sanger’s journal, she was indicted under the Comstock Laws. She then escaped to Europe to avoid any punishments. While in Europe, Sanger decided that birth control was a medical concern and not a socialist fight. She felt it was every woman’s right to decide if she wanted to become a mother or to have more than one child.

Sanger did return to the United States. The charges against her had been dropped. In 1916, Margaret opened the United States’ first birth control clinic in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, New York. This was once again a violation of the Comstock Act, and the clinic was raided by policemen. For establishing the clinic, Margaret received a sentence of thirty days in jail. She appealed the sentence, but it was upheld by the Court of Appeals. The court did, however, rule that physicians should have the right to prescribe birth control to their patients.

Later that year, Margaret formed the New York Birth Control League, which later became the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She rallied for physicians to have even more power to prescribe birth control since their power was still somewhat limited.

Then, in 1921, Sanger began an nationwide organization called the American Birth Control League. This association was aimed at educating the public. The birth control movement had began to sweep the nation. Even Eleanor Roosevelt, in 1940, came out in favor of birth control and family planning, and soon every state in the union, excluding Connecticut and Massachusetts, had turned over the Comstock Law banning information on birth control.

Margaret Sanger died in 1966, but not before seeing the Federal Drug Administration approve the birth control pill. Many women were taking this contraceptive upon Margaret’s death. Her battle was finally won.

More on Margaret Sanger: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/women/wom...

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