Margaret Sanger (1879-1966)

"A woman's duty is to look the whole world in the face with a go-to-hell look in the eyes ... to speak and act in defiance of convention." ~Margaret Sanger

Margaret Higgins was an American birth control activist, sex educator and nurse. The daughter of Michael Hennessey Higgins and Anne Purcell, she was born on 14 Sep 1879 in Corning, NY. In 1902 she married architect William Sanger with whom she had three children. She died in Tucson, AZ on 6 Sep 1966.

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. She 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, she 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.

Sanger is a frequent target of criticism by opponents of abortion and birth control and has also been criticized for supporting eugenics. But she remains a key figure in the American reproductive rights movement.

Click HERE for for the Margaret Sanger Papers Project site.