The Woman Rebel, No. 1
3/1914
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Margaret Sanger, a nurse, coined the term “birth control” and dedicated herself to educating women. Her own mother had 18 pregnancies in 22 years and died from ovarian cancer. Sanger began publishing a monthly newsletter called "The Woman Rebel" in 1914. She used the publication to inform women about birth control in articles such as "The Prevention of Contraception" and "Are Preventive Means Injurious?"
She was arrested repeatedly for violating the 1873 Comstock Act, which defined birth control as obscene and made it a Federal offence to send contraceptive devices or information about birth control through the mail. Five of the seven published issues were seized under the Comstock Laws.
Eventually the Supreme Court weighed in on the topic of birth control and ruled in the 1965 case Griswold v. Connecticut that marital privacy—including a woman’s decision to use contraceptives—is a protected right, although that word does not appear in the Constitution.
She was arrested repeatedly for violating the 1873 Comstock Act, which defined birth control as obscene and made it a Federal offence to send contraceptive devices or information about birth control through the mail. Five of the seven published issues were seized under the Comstock Laws.
Eventually the Supreme Court weighed in on the topic of birth control and ruled in the 1965 case Griswold v. Connecticut that marital privacy—including a woman’s decision to use contraceptives—is a protected right, although that word does not appear in the Constitution.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Post Office Department.
Full Citation: The Woman Rebel, No. 1; 3/1914; General Records, 1905 - 1921; Records of the Post Office Department, Record Group 28; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/woman-rebel-no-1, April 18, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
