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Margaret Sanger

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Submitted By kpiehl
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Kara Piehl
College of Menominee Nation
TPN 110 Nursing Fundamentals
Pearl Webster
September 10 , 2014

APA Paper
In this paper I will provide information about Margaret Sanger who was an influential person in nursing history. She grew up understand the perils of childbirth on a women and wanted to change the situation. While trying to change what she new was going to be her life, she continued and changed that for all women. In her life she created a movement that empowered women and gave women their autonomy. She gave women power over their own bodies and changed public’s views on contraceptives. She educated women on how contraceptives would change the lives of women and give them the freedom to choose. She had many obstacles during her campaign, but she created what we now know as Planned Parenthood and the International Planned Parenthood Federation that help women all over the world. Her accomplishments for a woman from the 19th century are radically huge and changed the world’s views on women’s autonomy. Margaret Sanger was born on September 14, 1879, born in Corning, New York. She was one of 11 children and her parents struggled to provide for all of them. The author of this article, Todd E had made sure he mentioned that her mother died prematurely and Margaret was deeply affected by this. She blames the fact that her mother carried and gave birth to so many children attributed to her death along with being poverty stricken and not being able to get the proper nutrition and provisions. To escape the life that was laid out for her, she went to school first at Claverack College and then to Hudson River Institute before in enrolling in the White Plains Hospital as a nurse probationer in 1900. She was a practical nurse in the women ward working toward her Registered Nursing degree. During her time earning her degree she married and soon had to leave school to raise her growing family. After her third child was born her family moved to New York City. In New York City she fell right into the free thinking and excitement to improve society. The city at this time seemed to be a perfect match for Margaret. The city gave her the freedom to finally voice her opinions and beliefs on women’s issues. Margaret was first recorded to be involved with the Women’s Committee of the New York Socialist Party. While working with other activist, her interest in the humanities grew. The committee assisted in labor actions and helped workers with organizing strikes. From this point Margaret’s activism grew and she started writing a column on female sexuality and social hygiene. Soon after publishing her article’s, the public banned the information she was distributing due to the ideas and information was deemed inappropriate and obscene. This did not deter her so she continued on trying to educate the public and bring contraceptives to the table. She later opened a clinic specifically for women that provided them with information and services (Katz, 2000 pp 2). Margaret Sanger’s work has deeply affected what we now know today. She got the public’s attention on women’s rights - more especially on a women’s right for contraceptives. She challenged the government to permit contraceptives to be prescribed by doctors for medical use. “She did win a judicial victory in 1936 when the United States (U.S.) Court of Appeals in U.S. v. One Package of Japanese Pessaries ruled that physicians were exempted from the ban on the importation of birth control materials. This decision effectively legalized the distribution of birth control for medical use, though the prohibition on importing contraceptive devices for personal use was not lifted until 1971.” (Katz 2000 pp 4). She also went as far as to travel the world to educate others on the use of contraceptives. On her travels it was even said she had a heavy debate with Ghandi about over population and how contraceptives would help with this problem. After her travels she created what we now know as the International Planned Parenthood Federation so all women would have access to contraceptive information. She wanted to keep contraception for women affordable because like herself, she came from poverty; she wanted to help others that were in this same class (Katz, 2000 pp 4). When I think of Planned Parenthood the first thought I think of is birth control. I don’t think of the history that went into making the availability possible. Margaret Sanger spent most of her life trying to improve women’s health and give women options. She encouraged and endorsed the development of new forms of birth control like spermicide jellies, foam powders and hormone contraceptives. She changed the publics opinion on women’s health and the use of contraceptives and has deeply affected first the American history and then the world’s history. I will hopefully be an effective nurse in my career. With knowing the history of Margaret Sanger and all that she has accomplished I will feel more confident in speaking with a female individual and give her options on birth control or other women’s health issues.

References
Katz, E. (2000) American national biography Margaret Sanger. American Council of Learned Societies. Retrieved from http://www.anb.org/articles/15/15-00598.html

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