Few figures in American history stir as much debate as Margaret Sanger. Hailed by some as a champion of women’s rights and reproductive freedom, and condemned by others for her association with eugenics and controversial views on race and population control, Sanger’s legacy is complex and contentious.
Understanding her life and the ideological roots of the organization she founded—Planned Parenthood—requires a thoughtful and honest look at history, morality, and ideology.
This blog post is crafted for those who seek a clear, well-reasoned, and factual overview of Margaret Sanger’s life and impact. We’ll explore her biography, beliefs, influences, and legacy, especially through the lens of Christian morality and the modern culture war over abortion and race. We’ll also address how her legacy intersects with the ideologies of Neo-Marxism and the contemporary left.
A Brief Biography of Margaret Sanger
Margaret Higgins Sanger was born on September 14, 1879, in Corning, New York, to a large Irish-American family. Her mother, Anne Purcell Higgins, died young after bearing eleven children and suffering seven miscarriages. Sanger often cited her mother’s difficult life as one of the reasons she pursued birth control advocacy. Her father, Michael Higgins, was a stonemason and an atheist who promoted free thought and radical politics, influencing Margaret’s rebellious streak.
Sanger studied nursing at White Plains Hospital and worked in the poor neighborhoods of New York City. It was there, among immigrant women living in crowded tenements, that she became deeply concerned about unwanted pregnancies, poor maternal health, and unsafe abortions. These experiences galvanized her commitment to making birth control available to the public.
In 1914, Sanger published a newsletter called The Woman Rebel, in which she coined the term “birth control.” That same year, she faced federal obscenity charges under the Comstock Laws for distributing contraceptive information. She fled to England for a time, returning to face charges but gaining public sympathy. In 1916, she opened the first birth control clinic in Brooklyn, leading to her arrest but also launching a national conversation.
In 1921, she founded the American Birth Control League, which later became Planned Parenthood in 1942.
Was She a Christian? Her Moral and Religious Foundation
Sanger was not a Christian in any orthodox sense. Although raised in a Catholic-influenced Irish family, she rejected organized religion early in life. Her father’s anti-religious views influenced her greatly. She often criticized Christianity, especially Catholicism, as being oppressive toward women.
In her book Woman and the New Race, she argued that Christianity had chained women to reproduction, which she considered a source of female bondage. She believed that freeing women from compulsory motherhood was a moral imperative, but her morality was grounded in utilitarian and secular humanist principles—not biblical truth.
From a Christian perspective, Sanger’s rejection of the sanctity of life, sexual purity, and family structure marks a stark contrast with biblical morality.
Ideological Influences
Sanger’s worldview was shaped by a mix of progressivism, early socialism, Darwinism, and Freudian psychology. During her time in England, she interacted with British socialists and members of the Fabian Society, a group that promoted socialist ideals through gradual reform rather than revolution. Her association with thinkers like H.G. Wells, Bertrand Russell, and others provided an intellectual framework for her population control ideas.
The late 19th and early 20th centuries were ripe with social Darwinist thought—believing that the principles of evolution applied to societies and races. Sanger was deeply influenced by these ideas and saw birth control as a tool to engineer a better society by reducing the reproduction of what she saw as the “unfit.”
Eugenics and Sanger’s Belief System
Eugenics, from the Greek meaning “well-born,” is the belief that society can be improved by encouraging the reproduction of people with “desirable” traits and discouraging or preventing those with “undesirable” traits from reproducing.
Sanger believed that some people should not have children. She promoted “voluntary” sterilization and supported laws that allowed the forced sterilization of the mentally ill and intellectually disabled. While she distanced herself from more extreme eugenicists who promoted racism and genocide, her writings and policies nonetheless aligned with core eugenic goals.
In a 1921 article, Sanger wrote:
“The most urgent problem today is how to limit and discourage the over-fertility of the mentally and physically defective.”
She also supported the 1927 Supreme Court ruling in Buck v. Bell, which upheld the forced sterilization of a woman deemed mentally incompetent, with Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes declaring, “Three generations of imbeciles are enough.”
Racism and Views on Minorities
Was Sanger a racist? This is a hotly debated question. While she never wrote explicitly racist manifestos, she did make statements and form alliances that are troubling.
One of the most controversial episodes involves her 1939 “Negro Project,” which aimed to promote birth control in black communities. In a letter to Dr. Clarence Gamble, she wrote:
“We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population…”
Defenders claim this quote is taken out of context, arguing that she feared misinterpretation of her intentions. Critics argue that the quote speaks volumes, especially in light of Planned Parenthood’s disproportionate presence in minority neighborhoods.
Sanger also spoke at a 1926 women’s auxiliary meeting of the Ku Klux Klan in Silver Lake, New Jersey. She wrote in her autobiography:
“I accepted an invitation to talk to the women’s branch of the Ku Klux Klan… I believed I had accomplished my purpose.”
While she didn’t endorse the KKK, her willingness to speak to them—and boast about it—raises serious concerns.
Her Personal Life and Sexual Morality
From a Christian standpoint, Sanger’s personal life was morally troubling. She married William Sanger in 1902 and had three children, but she engaged in multiple extramarital affairs. She later divorced and remarried in 1922.
Sanger believed in “free love” and opposed traditional sexual morality. She promoted sexual liberation and saw restrictions on sexual behavior as oppressive and outdated.
Societal and Political Influences
Sanger was heavily influenced by early 20th-century progressive politics and socialism. She interacted with American radicals such as Emma Goldman and was sympathetic to socialist movements, though she was more of a reformist than a revolutionary.
Her politics aligned with efforts to remake society through science, population control, and feminist liberation. These themes later dovetailed with Neo-Marxist thought, especially in the cultural revolution of the 1960s.
Birth Control, Abortion, and Sterilization
Contrary to popular belief, Margaret Sanger did not publicly support abortion. She considered it a dangerous and tragic consequence of lack of access to contraception. Her focus was on birth control methods—especially diaphragms and sterilization.
However, her support for forced sterilization of the “unfit” blurs the line between voluntary birth control and coercion. She believed that society had a duty to prevent the reproduction of those who would pass on “defects.”
While Planned Parenthood would later become one of the largest abortion providers in the world, this was not Sanger’s original focus—though her ideology laid the foundation.
KKK and Other Associations
As mentioned, Sanger did speak to a women’s branch of the KKK. In her own words:
“I was escorted to the platform, was introduced, and began to speak. In the end, through simple illustrations, I believed I had accomplished my purpose. A dozen invitations to speak to similar groups were proffered.”
This reveals a willingness to engage with deeply racist groups for the sake of promoting her agenda.
Nazi Associations
There is no evidence that Adolf Hitler spoke directly about Sanger, nor that she endorsed Nazi ideology. However, her ideas on eugenics were in circulation and influenced by the same intellectual currents that gave rise to Nazi racial policies.
The Nazis praised American eugenics programs, including California’s sterilization laws, which Sanger supported. A 1934 Nazi publication cited American eugenic practices favorably, though not Sanger by name.
Founding Planned Parenthood
Sanger’s American Birth Control League became Planned Parenthood in 1942. She served as its first president and shaped its mission: to provide contraception, educate the public, and advocate for population control.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Abortion Politics
In a 2009 interview with The New York Times, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said:
“Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of.”
Many interpreted this as an indirect reference to Sanger’s ideology. While Ginsburg never publicly celebrated Sanger, her abortion jurisprudence aligned with a vision of reproductive control as a means to social engineering.
Hillary Clinton’s Admiration
In 2009, Hillary Clinton received the Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood. In her acceptance speech, she said:
“I admire Margaret Sanger enormously. Her courage, her tenacity, her vision.”
Clinton later added that she didn’t agree with everything Sanger said or did, but her praise drew criticism from conservatives who pointed out Sanger’s eugenic beliefs.
Racial Targeting and Planned Parenthood Today
Over 70% of Planned Parenthood clinics are located in minority communities. While the organization claims this is about providing access, critics argue it reflects a strategy rooted in Sanger’s early projects.
Black leaders like Dr. Alveda King (niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) have denounced Planned Parenthood as targeting black communities.
Planned Parenthood’s Attempt to Erase Sanger
In 2020, Planned Parenthood of Greater New York removed Sanger’s name from its Manhattan clinic. The organization also acknowledged her ties to eugenics and racism. They discontinued the Margaret Sanger Award in an effort to rebrand.
Glossary of Terms
- Eugenics: The practice or advocacy of improving the human species by selectively mating people with specific desirable hereditary traits.
- Social Darwinism: The application of evolutionary concepts to society, often used to justify inequality.
- Fabian Society: A British socialist organization that promoted gradual change rather than revolution.
- Comstock Laws: Federal laws that criminalized the dissemination of “obscene” material, including birth control information.
Chart: Sanger’s Influence vs. Planned Parenthood’s Current Practices
| Topic | Sanger’s Belief | Planned Parenthood Today |
|---|---|---|
| Abortion | Opposed in principle | Major provider of abortions |
| Birth Control | Strong advocate | Continues to promote it |
| Eugenics | Supported sterilization | Disavows it publicly |
| Race | Targeted black communities | Clinics often located in minority areas |
| Religion | Anti-Christian | Secular, progressive organization |
Conclusion: Neo-Marxism and the Legacy of Sanger
Neo-Marxists today generally do not quote Sanger directly, but they embrace the institutions and cultural revolution she helped catalyze. Planned Parenthood, under the banner of reproductive freedom, aligns closely with Neo-Marxist goals of deconstructing traditional institutions—especially the family and Christian morality.
Ironically, the eugenic and racial undertones of Sanger’s legacy contradict the anti-racist rhetoric of today’s left. Yet Planned Parenthood remains a sacred cow for progressives. The organization furthers the Neo-Marxist agenda by promoting sexual liberation, abortion access, and a redefinition of family and motherhood.
Sanger’s legacy is a warning: ideas have consequences. What begins as misguided compassion for the poor can become coercive population control. What begins as alleged reproductive freedom can become destruction of the image of God in humanity. Christians—and all Americans—must look honestly at history to discern truth from propaganda.
S.D.G.,
Robert Sparkman
rob@basedchristianity.org
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