On
this date, September 6, 1966, the Founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret
Sanger, died of congestive heart failure in Tucson, Arizona, aged 86, about a
year after the event that marked the climax of her 50-year career: the landmark
U.S. Supreme Court case Griswold v. Connecticut, which legalized birth
control in the United States. I got the information about her from Wikipedia.
Margaret Sanger in 1922.
|
Born
|
Margaret
Higgins
September 14, 1879 Corning, New York, United States |
Died
|
September
6, 1966 (aged 86)
Tucson, Arizona, United States |
Occupation
|
Social reformer, sex educator, nurse
|
Spouse(s)
|
William
Sanger (1902–1921)
James Noah H. Slee (1922–1943). |
Margaret Higgins Sanger (September 14, 1879 – September 6, 1966) was an
American birth control activist, sex educator, and nurse. Sanger popularized
the term birth control, opened the first birth control clinic in the
United States, and established organizations that evolved into the Planned
Parenthood Federation of America. Sanger's efforts contributed to several
judicial cases that helped legalize contraception in the United States. Sanger
is a frequent target of criticism by opponents of birth control and has also
been criticized for supporting eugenics, but remains an iconic figure in the
American reproductive rights movement.
In
1916, Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, which
led to her arrest for distributing information on contraception. Her subsequent
trial and appeal generated enormous support for her cause. Sanger felt that in
order for women to have a more equal footing in society and to lead healthier
lives, they needed to be able to determine when to bear children. She also
wanted to prevent unsafe abortions, so-called back-alley abortions, which were
common at the time because abortions were usually illegal.
In
1921, Sanger founded the American Birth Control League, which later became the Planned
Parenthood Federation of America. In New York City, she organized the first
birth control clinic staffed by all-female doctors, as well as a clinic in Harlem
with an entirely African-American staff. In 1929, she formed the National
Committee on Federal Legislation for Birth Control, which served as the focal
point of her lobbying efforts to legalize contraception in the United States.
From 1952 to 1959, Sanger served as president of the International Planned
Parenthood Federation. She died in 1966, and is widely regarded as a founder of
the modern birth control movement.
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