FINAL PAPER

· Describe your selected person’s experience.

· Analyze the climate of the time period in terms of political, socioeconomic, environmental, and technological context in which this person worked.

· Examine the personal beliefs of your person that prompted this work.

· Examine how this individual overcame any adversities to succeed.

· Describe the final outcome of this individual’s contribution to community or public health.

· Explain what this person’s contribution did for overall community or public health at the time.

· Explain why this contribution was so important at that particular point in history.

Margaret Sanger

She was born on September 14, 1884 in corning, New York in the United States of America. Her father was an activist who championed for women’s right to vote and also fought for tax reforms in the country which led to the family being labeled as extremists by immediate neighbors. The family comprised of 11 siblings whom the mother took care of before succumbing to tuberculosis in 1896. After graduating from Claverack College at Hudson, New York she taught in New Jersey before returning home to take care of her ailing mother before she died. Later she trained as a nurse in White Plains, New York after experiencing first hand medical inadequacy that was being practiced in her community.

She began serving as a nurse in the slums of Lower East Side, New York City where people lived in extremely poor conditions before getting married to William Sanger in 1902. It was during the period she was serving in the slums that she saw the suffering undergone by pregnant women and also loss of life while procuring abortion and was inspired to advocate for management of births in the United States.

During that period, there was great transformation undergoing in the country which was fueled by increased immigration of people into the country. This produced fear among the locals who deemed their traditional values in their society was being undermined by the influx and the widening gap between the wealthy and the poor. The government administration under President Theodore Roosevelt in 1901, undertook major reforms in governance in order to accommodate the major transformation that industrialization was effecting to the people as well as to ensure the government was more responsive to issues pertain its people.

In that era, male dominance in the society was seen as a social norm and hence women were discriminated against by being denied the right to vote and also married women had to have written consent from their husbands in some states in order to enter into legal binding contracts. With reforms taking center stage in the country, there was need to integrate women into the workforce since the significant growth of big businesses paved way to new departments being established in order to cater for demand of products. Clerical and sales jobs were established and offered to women and also women started being employed in the factories as casual laborers. (McDonough, 1999)

With increased use of fuel as an alternative for steam and coal, there was rapid growth in mechanization in America in the late 1800 and early 1900’s. Its effect was growth of urban centers in areas where factories were located and also influx in people who sort work in the factories. The need for economic power by the government also facilitated the growth of industries and movement of people during the period. With more women being employed in factories and major business there was increased pressure for the government to reform laws that would empower women’s rights since women had become active in labor unions and were advocating for their rights that were earlier suppressed by the male dominated society.

With increased number of population in cities such as New York, housing and living conditions of its people deteriorated which led to emergence of slums such as Lower East Side which accommodated people who had suffered from social injustices such as class inequalities, racial and religious division. Government provision for social services became inadequate due to this rapid rate of expansion and this resulted to high mortality rates being recorded.

Technological advancements in areas such as transportation where steam engines and motorized boats were introduced, led to need to produce more products in order to cater for the increased demand since new markets were being established with the ease of transportation effected by such innovation. Similarly the abolishment of slavery increased demand for products in the black community. (Engelman, 2015)

During her time in the slums, Sanger saw the effects of malnutrition in children who had been left by their mothers at home to go and work in the industries, young adults being forced to go look for work to feed their families and persistent requests for abortions from her patients. This led her to advocate for better treatment of the poor by the society as well as rights pertaining to women especially sexual rights for women. At this time abortion was the only contraceptive being commonly used as a measure of birth control. However it changed when she first visited Europe with her family where she gained knowledge on modern contraceptives such as pessaries that were available there.

In collaboration with labor union clinics and doctors from Europe she managed to introduce the contraceptives in the United States through writing health articles regarding reproduction and use of birth control pills that sought to empower women in their rights to sexuality. (Sanger, 1919) She was subsequently arrested in 1914 for her monthly magazine (The Woman Rebel), which was deemed to be promoting sexual indecency in the society in relation to women’s rights to sexuality.

She fled trial to Britain but later returned in 1915 since here advocacy had gained roots and there was emergence of a strong movement that supported birth control and was appealing for her case to be dropped from the courts. She began countrywide campaigns for birth control and was successful since only the Catholic Church was opposed to birth control agenda before the protestant joined in the 1970s.

The fear for rapid growth of population in relation to what the government would offer in the 1960s led to politician’s endorsing birth control. This enabled the poor to have access to the birth control contraceptives which were earlier a privilege for the wealthy since more pro advocacy clinics mushroomed in the populous areas that the poor resided. However, her association with eugenists who sought the aid of birth control to control population where the colored and the minority were being targeted tarnished the birth control initiative as population became wary of her intention. (Gordon)

Her contribution for birth control led to decline in mortality rates occurring due to pregnancy in the society in the starting from early 1920s. Women could now start having their say in matters relating to sexuality and reproduction because they were empowered in choosing when to have children or to prevent. It also made it possible for the discovery of contraceptives such as condoms that are commonly used today for the prevention of unwanted pregnancies and transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.

During her advocacy, she ignored race and class which resonated well with the female mass. She was well known for her mobilization of women who were affected by the same predicament. This led to reduction of social injustices resulting from race and social class. However religious beliefs have clashed with this advocacy with catholic at the helm of it as it opposes such practices from its followers as it is deemed to be ungodly and against the Christian beliefs and practices. (Malveaux, 2001)

References

Engelman, R. (2015, April 11). The Second Industrial Revolution, 1870-1914. Retrieved from http://ushistoryscene.com/article/second-industrial-revolution/

Gordon, L. (n.d.). Remembering Margaret Sanger's Legacy, One Hundred Years Later. Retrieved from https://www.oah.org/tah/issues/2014/november/margaret-sanger/

Malveaux, J. (2001). Sanger’s Legacy Is Reproductive Freedom and Racism. Retrieved from https://womensenews.org/2001/07/sangers-legacy-reproductive-freedom-and-racism/

McDonough. (1999). Women Reformers in the Progressive Era. Retrieved from http://www.socialstudies.org/sites/default/files/publications/se/6305/630507.html

Sanger, M. (1919). The Public Papers of Margaret Sanger: Web Edition. Retrieved from https://www.nyu.edu/projects/sanger/webedition/app/documents/show.php?sangerDoc=143449.xml