Margaret Sanger and Her Battle For Women Rights

As a woman, studying women's rights all over the world is important, but specifically, as an American woman, studying my country's unique history has inevitably been taught from a man's perspective. When I learned about United States history through Advanced Placement classes in high school, I remember vividly envisioning a male-dominated world which was upsetting. Now, when I look back 100 years from today, all Americans need to remember the female-empowering change that started the commotion of the roaring twenties. Learning that the many disputes over women's rights were worth the outcome and not only the success for women’s rights has been achieved, but also spread into advocacy for transgender rights as well. When anyone looks back at history, the obvious notable change that men have allowed women to do was to vote, but the battle for the reproductive choice was led by women and became the first woman-dominated advance towards full legal equality. Undoubtedly, the most influential women to start the controversial fight for contraception methods was Margaret Sanger.

Before women had the right to vote, Margaret Sanger was already preparing for a lifetime battle for women’s rights. Sanger had established a dedication to improving women’s health care and decided to organize a newspaper to provide women with information and details regarding contraception, hence, birthing a new term, “birth control. ” The 1910’s newspaper, “What Every Girl Should Know” paved path for her career as a women's activist. In 1916, this newspaper opened the doors of her choice and allowed her to inaugurate the first birth control clinic in Brooklyn, New York, which was later shut down after 9 days of opening. Margaret was sentenced one month jail time which was meant to change her actions but she stayed strong and was devoted to making a difference.

During the Roaring twenties, Sanger was the director of The American Birth Control League in 1921. The goal was to encourage the idea of numerous birth control clinics and thus, giving women the choice to be in charge of their bodies. Sanger had thoughts beyond advanced for her time and the league recommended her to step down for being too radical. Although for the majority of people, the negative societal reactions to one's actions should cause them to discontinue, but shortly thereafter, she sought positive reinforcement through society in international efforts. Thus, around 1929, The Birth Control International Information Centre was founded by Sanger in collaboration with Edith How-Martyn. Similar to the ABCL, the BCIIC worked hard spreading news and information about the availability and effectiveness of different forms of birth control through pamphlets, newspapers, and speeches, but Sanger always desired to reach unheard-of heights so the next step in her goal was to reach women in India, Scandinavia, and as far as the Soviet Union. She congregated with numerous doctors, patients, and supportive members of these countries communities, but eventually, Sanger concluded that organizing a foreign-run association would pose challenges she would not ready to solve. Again, Sanger was ahead of her time and if she were to have the communication methods around today these problems would be virtually non-existent. Sanger vouchsafed the organization to a reputable British physician and had changed the name to the International Planned Parenthood Federation. Sanger, by this time, was determined to start an organization in the United States and stick with it. This became the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

A true hero sets his mind on something and does not stop until it is done. In 1965 she had witnessed the U. S. Supreme Court victory, Griswold v. Connecticut, which overturned the law outlawing giving contraceptive methods to married couples. This marks the end of her journey, eventually passing away a year after. Nonetheless, She deserves to be seen as an inspiration not only to America but numerous European countries. If all women continue to work hard and devote their lives to reaching almost impossible goals, following Sanger’s work ethic, then their persistence will pave the path onward towards equal pay opportunities.