The Contradictions of Margaret Sanger

On September, 14, 1879 in Corning New York Margaret Higgins was born. She later became known as Margaret Sanger and founded Planned Parenthood. There is a lot of controversy regarding her intend for birth control and her activism.   Planned Parenthood says(1) "Among her many visionary accomplishments as a social reformer, Sanger Established these principles:

• A woman's right to control her body is the foundation of her human rights.
• Every person should be able to decide when or whether to have a child
• Every child should be wanted or loved
• Women are entitled to sexual pleasure and fulfillment." 

These things that Margaret Sanger(supposedly) worked at sounds amazing and noble. However, I do have to point our some very contradicting things Sanger has said and that prove that she isn't the character Planned Parenthood wishes she was.
First I will start with her notorious letter to Gamble. Margaret Sanger wrote
" The ministers work is also important and also he should be trained, perhaps by the Federation as to our ideals and the goal that we hope to reach. We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro Population and the minister is the man who can straighten out the idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members."(2)
Planned Parenthood says that Sanger was simply acknowledging the fears of some in the black community. " Sanger was aware of African- American concerns passionately argued  by Marcus Garvey in the 1920s that he birth control was a threat to the survival of the black race. This statement, which acknowledges those fears, is taken from a letter to Clarence J. Gamble, M.D., a champion of the birth control movement. In the letter, Sanger describes her strategy to allay such apprehensions. A larger portion of the letter makes Sanger's meaning clear."(1) 
The entire letter does make her intent quite clear. Planned Parenthood's argument is a poor one. She refers to the people in the letter that question her intent as rebellious. She speaks of them as if they are children that need to be controlled. It's an interesting choice of words.What do you think?
 Another contradiction I have to point out is when Planned Parenthood says that she wanted women to have rights to their body. Sanger wrote in the Birth Control Review ,"Second, have Congress set up a special department for the study of population problems and appoint a parliament of Population, the directors representing the various branches of science this body to direct and control the population through birth rates and immigration, and to direct its distribution over the country according to national needs consistent with taste, fitness and interest of the individuals."  This Populations Congress would ," apply a stern and rigid policy of sterilization and segregation to that grade of population whose progeny is already tainted, or whose inheritance is such that objectionable traits may be transmitted to offspring."(3)
Does that sound like freedom to do with your body as you please? Certain individuals aren't allowed to have children so that principle that " Every person should be able to decide when or whether to have a child" that Planned Parenthood say she worked to established is only is only for certain people. People of the lower class, criminals, prostitutes, and the mentally ill  would not be allowed to have children.
 I do not believe that Margaret Sanger's goal was to help women. I believe that her intend was to make the human race what she thought that it ought be.









(1) https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj8vcWoiaTTAhXGWSYKHWwYB8AQFggrMAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.plannedparenthood.org%2Ffiles%2F8013%2F9611%2F6937%2FOpposition_Claims_About_Margaret_Sanger.pdf&usg=AFQjCNG9xTCZgKhnMoZY-YnaZfGy_R_uTg&sig2=dG58mXdCGRSwbfkdxz9s0g
 (2)Letter from Margaret Sanger to Dr. C.J. Gamble, December 10, 1939. · Smith Libraries Exhibits
(3) https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwivxcuLlaTTAhVD0WMKHR2NArYQFggjMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.issues4life.org%2Fpdfs%2F1932_peaceplan_margaretsanger.pdf&usg=AFQjCNF13f9Qjdp58-NI58fN9vBnGn5_Ng&sig2=2GPwNjghn4BPuwRdksIcrg&bvm=bv.152479541,d.cGc&cad=rja