History Of Planned Parenthood

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Today, people take certain liberties that they are blessed with for granted. Americans often forget about the struggles people once faced and the fighters who made miracles happen. Among those fighters, a woman named Margaret Sanger blazed trails for the American woman. Planned Parenthood was established in 1916 when Margaret, her sister, and a friend opened the first birth control clinic in America. Located in Brooklyn, New York, the clinic began by facing many obstacles. Women at that time had virtually no rights; they could not vote, sign contracts, have bank accounts, or divorce abusive husbands. Also, in the beginning, the idea of contraception and family planning was considered “obscene.” An issue, which has surrounded America for …show more content…

On January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in Roe v. Wade to recognize the constitutional right to privacy and women's right to choose abortion. Although this was a large step for the organization, they faced larger trials in the presidency of Ronald Reagan, who was the first U.S. president to strongly and openly oppose abortion. Bill Clinton was the first pro-choice president in twelve years when he came into office, where he overturned many of Reagans constricting laws. Since then, presidents have gone back and forth on pro-choice and anti-abortion laws. It was in 2003 when President Bush signed a bill, which created a dangerous abortion ban. This was the first legislation to criminalize an abortion procedure since the Roe v. Wade ruling. The law forbade the procedure, even if a woman's health was endangered, forbade doctors to recommend an abortion, even if it is medically appropriate to protect the health of the woman, required prison terms and financial penalties for doctors who performed abortions, and allowed male partners or parents to sue the woman if she had the procedure. ‘March for Women's Lives’ took place on April 25, 2004, and was the largest and most diverse pro-choice demonstration in history. Planned Parenthood played a leadership role in organizing the event. More than one million Americans gathered in Washington, D.C. to protest the new policies created by George W. Bush. Finally, President Barack Obama made it clear his commitment in giving Americans access to comprehensive health care for women and their