Margaret Higgins Sanger
- Born:
- September 14, 1879, Corning, New York, USA
- Died:
- September 6, 1966, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Nationality:
- American
- Profession(s):
- Sex Educator, Nurse, Writer, Birth Control Activist
Early Life and Education
- Born into a large Irish Catholic family.
- Witnessed her mother's repeated pregnancies and subsequent health decline, influencing her future activism.
- Attended Claverack College and Hudson River Institute.
- Trained as a nurse at White Plains Hospital.
Career and Major Achievements
- Worked as a visiting nurse in the Lower East Side of New York City, observing the effects of unwanted pregnancies on impoverished women.
- Campaigned for the legalization of contraception.
- Opened the first birth control clinic in the United States in 1916, leading to her arrest.
- Founded the American Birth Control League in 1921, which later became Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
- Advocated for eugenics, which is a controversial aspect of her legacy.
- Worked internationally to promote family planning.
Notable Works
- What Every Girl Should Know (1916)
- Family Limitation (1914)
- Woman and the New Race (1920)
- The Pivot of Civilization (1922)
- My Fight for Birth Control (1931) (autobiography, often studied alongside a `margaret sanger biography book`)
Legacy and Impact
Margaret Sanger was a pivotal figure in the birth control movement. Her activism led to greater access to contraception and family planning services, significantly impacting women's health and reproductive rights. However, her association with eugenics remains a subject of considerable controversy and debate regarding her overall legacy.