Margaret Sanger

Margaret Sanger was a pivotal figure in the reproductive rights movement in the United States and internationally. Her activism, writing, and establishment of clinics fundamentally challenged Comstock laws and societal norms, paving the way for legal access to contraception. While celebrated as a founder of the modern family planning movement, her legacy is complex and intertwined with controversies related to eugenics and issues of race.

Early Life and Education

Born in Corning, New York, she was the sixth of eleven children to Anne Purcell Higgins and Michael Hennessey Higgins, a stonemason and freethinker. Her mother's early death, which she attributed to frequent pregnancies, deeply influenced her worldview. After attending Claverack College and the Hudson River Institute, she enrolled in the White Plains Hospital nursing program. Her training was cut short by her marriage to architect William Sanger and the birth of their three children, but her experiences as a nurse on New York's Lower East Side exposed her to the dire consequences of unwanted pregnancy and illegal abortion.

Career

Her career as an activist began in earnest with her work for the Socialist Party of America and writing on women's health for the newspaper The Call. In 1914, she launched The Woman Rebel, a monthly newsletter that championed birth control and led to her indictment under the Comstock Act of 1873. Fleeing prosecution, she traveled to Europe, where she studied contraceptive methods and the movement led by figures like Havelock Ellis. Upon her return, she opened the first birth control clinic in the United States in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn in 1916, an act that resulted in her arrest and a 30-day jail sentence. This direct action galvanized public support and legal challenges.

The American Birth Control League

In 1921, she founded the American Birth Control League (ABCL), an organization dedicated to education, legislative reform, and clinical services. She organized the first American Birth Control Conference in New York City and later established the Clinical Research Bureau, the first legal birth control clinic in the U.S., staffed by female doctors. The ABCL's work involved complex alliances, including with elements of the eugenics movement, seeking support for legalizing contraception. In 1939, the ABCL merged with the Clinical Research Bureau to form the Birth Control Federation of America, which was renamed the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in 1942.

Personal Life

Her personal life was marked by unconventional relationships and a relentless focus on her cause. Her marriage to William Sanger ended in divorce. In 1922, she married James Noah H. Slee, a wealthy businessman who funded her work. She had significant, long-term relationships with other intellectuals and supporters, including the psychologist Havelock Ellis and the philanthropist J. Noah Slee. She spent her later years in Tucson, Arizona, and remained an influential figure, advocating for the development of "the Pill" through her support of researcher Gregory Goodwin Pincus.

Legacy

Her legacy is foundational to the reproductive rights and public health landscapes. She is credited with popularizing the term "birth control" and was instrumental in the 1936 legal victory United States v. One Package, which allowed physicians to import contraceptive materials. The organization she founded, Planned Parenthood, became a global leader in family planning and sexual health services. Her writings, including Woman and the New Race and her autobiography, remain significant historical documents. Numerous institutions, including Smith College's Sophia Smith Collection, house her extensive papers.

Impact and Controversy

Her impact on law, medicine, and social norms is profound, contributing directly to the Griswold v. Connecticut decision that legalized contraception for married couples. However, her legacy is heavily contested. Her advocacy included support for eugenic policies aimed at "racial betterment" and the selective use of contraception, which she sometimes directed at those she deemed "unfit." Her involvement with the Negro Project and speeches to groups like the Women's Auxiliary of the Ku Klux Klan have led to enduring criticism and debate about racism within the early birth control movement. These aspects ensure her historical assessment remains a subject of intense scholarly and public scrutiny.