Margaret Sanger Analysis

At last, work has ended for the day and I decide to unwind with a latte. I am settled at a table in my local coffee shop enjoying the view out of the window on the second floor. As I was gazing out the window, I hadn’t realized that two other people are sitting down next to me. To my surprise, I look up and see Margaret Sanger and FDR side by side across from me. I almost spit out my latte in shock! They ask me how I am doing, and I start to explain to them how I am working on an ideal society project for college. I tell them how my group had decided on a socialist government with high taxes, a strong education system, with many exports like fruit and jewelry. Our country would be located on an island rich in minerals, which we would use for
technology. As I am explaining to them my ideas for our country, Margaret Sanger pipes in with some information she thinks would be necessary to run a successful country--her views on birth control and women’s rights. Leading the conversation, Sanger begins to passionately describe her thoughts and feelings about how my society should not keep information about birth control away from women.
She pulls out a copy of The Woman Rebel and starts to read to me. “The aim of this paper will be to stimulate working women to think for themselves and to build up a conscious fighting character” (Sanger, 1). She mentions how women are “enslaved by the world machine, by sex conventions, by motherhood and its present necessary child-rearing” (Sanger, 3). Sanger wants me to know that women should not be condemned to having child after child due to lack of knowledge about birth control and how to obtain it. Women should be free to have control of their bodies. Her beliefs were that it takes two people to have sex, so why should the women face more consequences than the men? She explained how having a baby is extremely taxing for a woman more so than on a man. Women will forever live with the damages to their bodies and their minds. Without birth control, women will have children hanging off of them and will be withered away by the overload of motherly duties, she says. Her suggestions have taught me that it is only fair to women to have free birth control since they receive the short-end of the stick when it comes to being able to prevent pregnancy and take care of their bodies and lives. Women should have the right to prevent pregnancy or to terminate an early pregnancy/a pregnancy that is threatening
their lives/or their child’s life.
After Sanger had finished speaking, I let her know that the statements she mentioned would be held crucial in my ideal society project. Similarly to Sanger, I too agree that all women should have access to birth control and the necessary means to prevent pregnancy in a healthy way. Women deserve control over their bodies and their futures. In my ideal society, health care would include access to free birth control for women and men. Women could receive birth control pills, IUD’s, birth control shots, etc. While men could receive free condoms or the morning after pill if necessary. My society’s high taxes would allow it to afford these extra expenses. As I finish up my response, FDR is patiently waiting to speak his mind about what types of standards my society should run from.
FDR commences his portion of the conversation by mentioning that he believed that money was not a direct route to happiness--but rather that a solid work ethic and creativity led to a better future. My impression is that he and Sanger connected with that aspect of their identities. They both believed that vigorous effort and determination in a society would lead it to greater things. However, it is known that FDR didn’t exactly support the use of birth control as he refused to include it in the New Deal. While the New Deal moved social policy quite far to the left, birth control had no place. FDR didn’t have much to add to this during our discussion, but I conclude that during that time period, birth control was put on the back burner due to the economic crisis occurring. The focus at the time was centered on healing and recovering the economy--putting anything else in the spotlight may have taken away from the recovery process. FDR continued to speak about the rights he believed all citizens should have: “The right of every family to a decent home; The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health; The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment; The right to a good education.” ( FDR, 2). With that said, I predict that if FDR were to run for president again, he definitely would see the value in birth control as an aid in women’s health and happiness since he was such a strong advocate of strong medical care and wellness. He also believes in everyone obtaining a good education-- something my society would focus on as well. Towards the end of my discussion with FDR, Sanger brought up the relationship that she had with his wife, Eleanor.
To tie into FDR’s lack of response to the issue of birth control, Sanger chimed in that she had been in connection with Eleanor, who seemed to support the birth control movement--just not enough. Sanger explained to me that Eleanor seemed interested in helping, but was held back by her husband’s political position. She wasn’t able to say too much on the subject of birth control since FDR’s administration did not support it. As far as I’m concerned, this is a perfect example of the oppression that women felt about birth control at the time, but also how women are expected to obey and stand on the same ground as their husband. Even though Sanger and FDR had their differences, from my view point, during the discussion they were civil and understanding of each other’s ideas and hopes for the country. Sanger’s hopes for the birth control movement had been overshadowed by the Great Depression when FDR was in office, but she understood the conflict and was happy to hear how far we have come today in regards to women’s sexual health and happiness.
Lastly, both Sanger and FDR left me with some words of wisdom as I embark on creating my ideal society.
FDR read to me this knowledge, “It is our duty now to begin to lay the plans and determine the strategy for the winning of a lasting peace and the establishment of an American standard of living higher than ever before known. We cannot be content, no matter how high that general standard of living may be, if some fraction of our people—whether it be one-third or one-fifth or one-tenth- is ill-fed, ill-clothed, ill housed, and insecure.” (FDR, 1) I learned from FDR that it is society’s choice to decide how smoothly we run and we all need to put in the effort or change will never happen and we will not prosper. Everyone deserves to be fed, clothed, housed, and content. Adding to FDR’s readings, Sanger left me with a final question to ponder on as I create my ideal society-- “Is there any reason why women should not receive clean, harmless, scientific knowledge on how to prevent conception?” (Sanger,1) From Margaret Sanger I learned that in order for women to keep their jobs, have enough money to provide for their children, and to have control of their bodies more completely, birth control needs to be free and accessible in my ideal society--as well as other procedures for women’s reproductive and mental health. To answer her question--there is no reason why women shouldn’t at least have the knowledge that there are resources out there. With this advice, I would make sure to
have a strong sex education program in my society that would teach about resources and places to go when in need of family planning.
After plenty of chatting and sipping our drinks, I bade farewell to Sanger and FDR and began to absorb all of the information that was just placed in front of me. Both of these figures were significantly influential. Overall, these two figures reassured my thoughts that a socialist style of government would be the best way to achieve a society where everyone is working together for a common cause. It also would allow for health benefits and the essential needs of every human being--but only if everyone would work together. They both also made me realize that in order to have that level of gusto there would need to be a powerful leader of our society who could push the people to be passionate and to never give up when the going gets tough. FDR and Sanger were both passionate about their ideals and morals and it became obvious to the public. Finding someone with the same compassion and leadership skills would help create a society that could function properly and easily. After gathering my last thoughts, I hear an alarm beep loudly from a distance. I jump up from my chair and look around. I am not in a coffee shop at all...but instead, my dorm room. Well, that was an insane dream!