This project takes an in depth look at the birth control movement in New York City. The movement began with Margaret Sanger, a women’s rights activist who dedicated her life to improving women’s health and was a key figure in the legalization of various contraceptives.
Despite Sanger’s contributions to the future of birth control, it is crucial to acknowledge the darker side of her activism. While eugenics and sterilization did not persevere in the end, it still laid some foundation for contraceptives today.
With her prior life experiences and the strength of her knowledge in medicine, Margret Sanger has taken these two and used them as a driving force to change the way women were able to go about childbirth. She wanted it to be used not just as a method for pregnancy prevention, but for women to have a better quality of life by allowing them to pursue a higher education, and improve prospective employment.
The power of her activism and medical contributions also led to the formation of Planned Parenthood and increased accessibility to contraception, which is still growing today. The protection of women’s physical bodies, in terms of fertility, were ensured because of the impact Sanger had on the legality and practice of women’s health. However, her advocacy for the protection of women’s reproductive health also became a symbol of feminism by allowing women full control over their fertility, which contributes to women’s general fight for power in a patriarchal-rooted society.
