Margaret Higgins Sanger, later known as Margaret Sanger, was an influential American birth control activist, sex educator, writer, and nurse, born on September 14, 1879, in Corning, New York. She was the daughter of Michael Hennessy Higgins and Anne Purcell Higgins. Sanger's early life was shaped by the death of her mother, which fueled her dedication to improving women's health and reproductive rights. She attended Claverack College and later pursued a career as a nurse, where she became increasingly aware of the challenges women faced due to lack of access to birth control. Her advocacy for reproductive rights led her to found what would eventually become Planned Parenthood, a key organization in the movement for women's health and family planning. Sanger's work and writings, including her landmark book Woman and the New Race, promoted birth control as a means of empowering women, improving public health, and advancing social reform. She had three children: Peggy Sanger, Stuart Sanger, and Grant Sanger. Sanger passed away on September 6, 1966, in Tucson, Arizona, leaving behind a profound legacy in the fight for women's autonomy over their bodies and reproductive choices.
