Birth Control: Salvation for Working-Class Women
Although societies with rigorous rules such as the ancient Greeks practiced the use of birth control and the invention of modern contraceptive methods---such as condoms, diaphragms, and douches---have been around since the early 1800’s, birth control still did not prevail in the twentieth century and was highly controversial. Margaret Sanger gave people a new and radical ideology stating how birth control helped women in many more ways than their sexuality. Sanger published many literature pieces about her opinions on options and freedom for women in society. Several other women and doctors acknowledged her argument by broadcasting it during the Progressive Era. When the 1920’s came around,
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These two pieces jumpstarted Sanger’s campaign for a woman’s right to access birth control. The Notably, Margaret Sanger debuted her tabloid---The Woman Rebel---in 1914. In regards to this, Sanger argued in “Why the Woman Rebel?” that deep down in every woman lies a spirit of revolt. Women in the early twentieth century were accustomed to listening to their husbands and having no voice of opinion. Women never felt the freedom of independence. The government ruled it illegal to distribute information on birth control, but that did not stop Sanger from rebelling against this law. When Sanger states, “…I believe that not until wage slavery is abolished can either woman’s or man’s freedom be fully attained,” she compared women to slaves, held down by the chains of restriction from gaining their own wages. Sanger argued for women’s freedom to make their own decisions. Falling into the child-bearing standard did not give women a choice on whether they wanted to be a part of the working class or to spend their lives as housewives. Publishing tabloids influenced many women across the country to reconsider their lives, but it was never easy for radical feminists to voice their opinion …show more content…
Anthony Comstock worked as a special agent of the U.S. Post Office Department. He served as a high position in government, which crippled Sanger’s campaign to spread the word about birth control and allow women to gain their freedom outside the household Comstock opposed birth control in a very strong manner and even disapproved Sanger’s newspaper to be distributed. In the interview, Comstock explained about how women sunk down to the level of the beast by choosing to have sex instead of having self-control. He argued that if women bore the strength of abstaining, then there wouldn’t be a need for birth control or abortions in the first place. With regards to blaming, Comstock not only antagonized the parents for succumbing to sin, but also blamed women for sexualizing themselves in the first place. Furthermore, he stated that preventing a woman from getting pregnant would work the greatest
Margaret Sanger’s hard work to legalize and promote contraception was rooted in her belief that those who were impoverished should not procreate. In her book My Fight for Birth Control, Sanger claims, “I associate poverty, toil, unemployment, drunkenness, cruelty, quarreling, fighting, debts, and jails with large families” (Planned Parenthood). Sanger set out to “sterilize the unfit” and make known methods to control the population (Planned Parenthood). Many of her colleagues were racist and believed contraception should be used for the purpose of maintaining
Margaret Sanger founded a movement in this country that would institute such a change in the course of our biological history that it is still debated today. Described by some as a "radiant rebel", Sanger pioneered the birth control movement in the United States at a time when Victorian hypocrisy and oppression through moral standards were at their highest. Working her way up from a nurse in New York's poor Lower East Side to the head of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Margaret Sanger was unwavering in her dedication to the movement that would eventually result in lower infant mortality rates and better living conditions for the impoverished. But, because of the way that her political
Sanger was a demonstrative and powerful voice for women during the late 1800s, and advocated their right to their own bodies and their own pregnancies. Because she believed in women's right to control their reproductive health, she pushed for accessible birth control when it was not openly spoken about or even conceptualized. Sanger created the first legal birth control clinic in the United States: the Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau in 1923 and later had a hand in creating the first oral birth control pill (“Margaret Sanger”). Even though these companies and medications were established none of the progress was not without legal threat. Sanger’s mission was one that shook the laws that were already in place at the time. Before Planned Parenthood could even be conceptualized there had to be tremendous push-back and a movement towards a bright future on the part of women. Sanger is responsible for the brunt of the progress made in the women's rights movement at the time and without her Planned Parenthood would likely not become one of the largest providers of women's health in the United States
Margret Sanger emphasized to America on the need for birth control and how it could help America. Having birth control would save many of woman from unorthodox methods of abortions. Having birth control would save people from the burden of bringing a child into a life that they couldn’t afford to raise. Although her thought challenged many views of American standard Margaret Sanger helped change and save many
During the early 1900’s many women would get pregnant without any means of doing so. Most of the women that were becoming pregnant were financially unstable and could not afford to support another child. In order for women to feed their large families they began to work and on top of working they had to take care of things at home. Countless kids that came from large families were forced into child labor in order to help support their families. These women were forced to become mothers when they did not want to be. A majority of women during this time period would die while giving birth.Women began to want to control their own bodies. Margaret Sanger took notice of the problems that women had to face and decided to do something about it.
An American sex educator, birth control activist, author, and nurse, that’s who Margaret Sanger was. Sanger “created” the expression "birth control", established the first birth control clinic in the United States, and set up associations that later developed into the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. A fervent women's activist, human rights lobbyist, and supporter of sex-positivity, Sanger was additionally a eugenicist, trusting that anti-conception medication was at any rate as imperative an apparatus for restricting the generation of 'the unfit' as it was for women's freedom. Sanger concurred with numerous driving researchers and progressives of her day in attributing to purported Social Darwinism, a problematic term since it doesn't
Sanger wanted to put birth control more on the market, this is when she decided to make it known in pharmacies and let women use it in hospitals. After world war 1 is when she really started to kick off birth control. She started to reach out to black women of any age, making the stand that she did to slaves she became known for being racist and starting birth control. She had finally won everyone's hearts with planned parenthood in 1939, (when it was founded) and she was no longer a radical feminist. Her role in birth control became largely horrific after world war 2 and she had to change her aspects on birth control. She had decided to travel to many other countries including Brazil, Asia, Russia, and Korea to share about birth control. This act make birth control way more known where just about every doctor was deciding to put it in hospitals. Sanger wasn't alone in this fight for birth control, she also had many other feminist along her side. First was Katharine Dexter McCormick, She gave away thousands of dollars just for birth control to be discovered. Next is British feminist Edith How-Martyn to serve as a clearinghouse for information. Last but not least is Dr. John Rock, he was the support for all of the doctors at that time to accept birth control into hospitals and any patents care routine.
Margaret Sanger’s obsession with population control by the use of birth control can be linked back to her own home and family. Sanger was one of the eleven children in her home that grew up in poverty. Sanger often associated wealth with families containing fewer children and poverty and aggression with larger families. Sanger was exposed to the difficulties of pregnancy early on in life, as she was aware of her mother’s seven miscarriages. After seeing her family and mother struggle with un-wanted pregnancies and miscarriages Sanger began to believe that these issues may have caused the death of her mother. In the 1910’s-1920’s Sanger prepared to fight to have the Comstock Law amended or abolished,
Most men tried putting a stop to birth control. Even some women tried to put a stop to birth control from the influence of men. The government thought birth control would hurt more than aid the people of America. Sanger did not want to live in a sexist, men dominated world, she believed that it “is not to preserve a man-made world, but to create a human world by the infusion of the feminine element into all of its activities." Sanger desired for men to think of women as more than just a children making machine.
Margaret Sanger was an influential figure during the turn of the twentieth century. She was born in 1879 to a typical American family. Her parents were Irish immigrants but despite their financial issues, Margaret went on to do amazing things for women. Margaret attended nursing school and graduated in 1896 (Witherbee, 2005). She hosted protests and stand in’s in an effort to help achieve justice for those who otherwise wouldn’t receive it. However, her main contributions to science surround her huge strides in social reform for woman. An article by Chesler explains that after seeing a young girl die from an illegal at home abortion, Sanger made it her personal agenda to achieve freedom for women over their bodies. This took the form of contraception
Women all around the world have been battling with being equal in society. From the start their rights in the workplace were thought unfit. Then establishing rights over their choices and bodies were taken into account. Not having children in society during that time was considered unheard of or wrong. The thought of stopping pregnancy, which everyone considered a customary act, should never happen. Birth control is a choice that women should not have to part from just because somebody deems it necessary. Women have the right to choose their own path in regards to marriage, children, and birth control. They need a voice when everyone is trying to silence them and Margaret Sanger was that voice.
In order for her to go to college and learn about medicine, her older sisters paid for her college education, (Commire, ed., 1994). She would go on to discover researchers for birth control and then MARGARET SANGER 3 proceed to push for a wide use of it. She started a magazine that spoke of sexual liberties for women and talked about birth control, this was illegal practice at the time and she was sent to jail for the first time, (Ayoub, 2011). She was also arrested for running an illegal clinic and having an underground trade of sexual health items, (Chesler, 2003). Sanger was seen as a public nuisance but she refused to give up her fight for women's
Through comparison of Margaret Sanger and Betty Friedan I have been able to present two feminists against each other even though they were writing nearly 30 years apart in a trend of consistency. I have been able to conclude that the constraints of female autonomy are evident in the physical constraints which women of the 1950’s place themselves under in the form of housewife roles and the restrictions of motherhood. Women were subjecting themselves to these captive positions as a result of their biology, they believed that it was the normal thing for women to do and it is this captivity in the difference between perception and reality which is so fundamental in the evolution of birth control. Thus highlighting the intricate relation between the first and second wave of feminism in the limitation of women from their bodily autonomy. A controversial statement which is supported in the reality that if women never obtained this contraceptive form of equality then they would never be truly equal with men, they would always have to take time out of their careers to have children and it would never allow career progression which they are capable of. Gender equality must ultimately start from within and in this case it must start in the form of the female reproductive
The birth control pill was the first form of oral contraceptive approved by the FDA in 1960. What began as a matter of population control and family planning for low income individuals grew into a massive feminist movement including upper and middle class women demanding oral contraceptives in the context of a sexual revolution in the 1960’s
The deliberate use of artificial methods or other techniques to prevent pregnancy as a consequence of sexual intercourse become norm in 21st century, though in 20th century American society, it was debatable. In New York in 1920, a debate about birth control took place between Margaret Sanger and Winter Russel. They argued on the following issue “Resolved, that the spreading of birth control knowledge is injurious to the welfare of humanity.” Even though, the main core of the debate was about the spreading of birth control knowlage, both debaters argued and focused in their values. Mr. Russel a New York attorney argued from Christian point of view and Mrs. Sanger argued more from scientific and logical point of view. When Mrs. Sanger launched her campaign about birth control, she found herself in big trouble. She said “In August, 1914, a Federal Grand Jury returned three indictments against me, based on articles in the March, May and July issues of The Woman Rebel. The articles branded as "obscene" merely discussed the question and contained no information how to prevent conception. But the authorities were anxious to forestall the distribution of this knowledge.”. In this particular debate She argued not having large family can help women to be a productive citzens and it can prevent health risks that came with repeated pregnancy. In other hand her opponent belived giving birth control to a women is against law of nature, it is a race-suicide and not telling people about