An Autobiography

Margaret Sanger was a well-known birth control activist and feminist who dedicated her life to promoting womens health and reproductive rights. Born in 1879 in Corning New York Sanger was the sixth of eleven children in a working-class family. She received a limited formal education and worked as a nurse before becoming involved in the birth control movement. In 1912 Sanger began writing a column on sex education and birth control for the New York Call newspaper. Her outspoken views on these controversial topics quickly drew attention and in 1914 she was arrested for distributing a pamphlet on contraception. Sanger continued to advocate for birth control despite facing repeated legal challenges and opposition from religious and conservative groups. In 1916 Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in the United States in Brooklyn New York. The clinic was raided and shut down just ten days later but Sanger continued her work and went on to found the American Birth Control League in 1921. This organization later became Planned Parenthood which continues to provide reproductive health services to women today. Sangers advocacy for birth control was not limited to the United States. She traveled to Europe Africa and Asia promoting birth control and educating women about their reproductive health. Sanger also wrote several books on the topic including Family Limitation and The Pivot of Civilization.