Birth Control in the late 19th and early 20th century was a very controversial topic. It caught the attention of women and men all around the world. Especially in the United States where in every magazine, newspaper, or street corner talk about the idea of birth control was everywhere. Birth control was such a controversial topic because this was the first time that sex had been thought of as something other than as use of procreation. This bothered some people because of religious beliefs, morals, and lifestyles. However others saw birth control as a great new invention that needed to be spoken about.
When the topic of birth control was first brought up, it was during a time of intense feminism, so this topic fit right in since it pertained to women. The rights of women was a main reason for the fights for contraceptives. Since women were the ones who were going through childbirth and having to take care of the children many people thought it was time for them to be able to have some sort of planing in their pregnancies. Tone a birth control activist said, "They feel it is important for women to gain political and social power by defending their roles as mothers and protectors of virtue." Before birth control for women was brought up everything depended on the men. Contraceptives were only made for men which didn't make much sense to the women because they were not the ones having involuntary pregnancies. Women began to think that no birth control was a disadvantage to their family and to themselves, they wanted to be as involved as the men. This brings back the idea of feminism and the equal rights between men and women.
Margaret Sanger is a name that goes hand in hand with birth control. She was a nurse turned birth control activist in the late 19th century. Margaret Sanger was the "pioneer of the American birth control movement" who argued that women such be free to enjoy the pleasures of sexual activity without any connection to procreation the same as men. Margaret Sanger's mother is thought to be the reasoning for her want to legalize birth control. Her mother died from tuberculous and exhaustion at the relatively young age of 50. She had eleven children that didn't even count her seven miscarriages. Sanger thought that the strain of the pregnancies had caused her mother to be weak and frail. She put her heart and soul in the legalization on women contraceptions and would not stop until her rights had been given. She fought for the repeal of the Comstock Laws, laws that had banned the distribution of contraceptives medications. Her fight consisted of challenging this law by distributing contraceptives and instructional literature to inform people of the rights in which they had. Margaret Sanger continued to live her whole life as a birth control activist and eventually got to see her idea of the birth control pill come to life.
People fought against birth control because of religion and morals. For the longest time sex was only used for procreation not pleasure. It was not a simple activity to be taken lightly, but a serious matter that no one seemed to take seriously anymore. Many people thought that women were put on this earth specifically for procreation and the fact that humans were taking advantage of this greatly aggravated them. Politicians and other important people feared the nation may be headed into a "time of sexual anarchy" that could not be stopped if continued. Some extremists even thought that the birth control pill was a major element in the falling apart of the standards of sexual mortality. In the bible it is said that a women should not lie with a man unless they are wed, so for most religious people unwed sex for pleasure was disrespectful to God.
The only way that activist such as Margaret Sanger could share her thoughts about birth control throughout the United States was through communication, persuasion, and collaboration. Without these three things the legalization of contraceptives could not have been possible. Communication was a big one because without the talking of birth control nothing would have started. The conversational aspect of any situation is key to the success of that situation. Ester Katz the editor of Margaret Sanger's Paper said, "Sanger, initially sought the support of liberal proponents of scientific eugenics in an effort to gather main stream support for birth control." This quote shows how Margaret Sanger used communication and collaboration to achieve her goal of contraceptions for women.
Birth control has come a long way since the topic was first brought up in the late 19th century. There are many different views and opinions on the subject and with this come both the positive and the negative. All it takes is one brave voice such as Margaret Sanger to start a worldwide phenomenon such as birth control. With many different aspects came the legalization of women contraceptives as well as the equality that men and women have now over this subject matter.
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| Birth Control Protester |
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| Advertisement of America's First Birth Control Clinic |
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| Margaret Sanger: Birth Control Activist |
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| Present Day Birth Control |
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| Margaret Sanger Paper:The Birth Control Review |
Sources
1. HRC Margaret Sanger Segment I found this video to be very important to my research because it gave a look into how the people of this time period were dealing with the concept of birth control. It was a great primary source that put me into the time period.
2. PBS Article on Margaret Sanger This source helped me to figure out why and exactly what Margaret Sanger was fighting for.
3. Margaret Sanger Public Writing I found this source very important because it allowed me to read actual words of Margaret Sanger and be able to get into her head.This was a great primary source to use to figure out the way that she thought.
4. Medicinenet History of Birth Control This was a good site to use because it allowed me to view the medical side of the topic instead of just the opinion and people based side.
5. PBS Primary Source Article from 1966 This article found in a magazine in 1966 helps me to see the other views surrounding birth control, so I see both the positive and negative outlooks on it.
6. Margaret Sanger Bibliography I wanted to learn more about Margaret Sanger's background, how she grew up, family, etc. This bibliography was a great source for that.
7. History of Birth Control- Wikipedia Wikipedia was my first source that I looked out to get a bases understanding of my topic and learn a few things without getting to in depth.
8. American History Textbook
