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Woman must have her freedom; the fundamental freedom of choosing whether or not she shall be a mother and how many children she will have. Regardless of what man's attitude may be, that problem is hers; and before it can be his, it is hers alone. [npg] She goes through the vale of death alone, each time a babe is born. As it is the right neither of man nor the state to coerce her into this ordeal, so it is her right to decide whether she will endure it. That right to decide imposes upon her the duty of clearing the way to knowledge by which she may make and carry out the decision. [npg] Birth control is woman's problem. The quicker she accepts it as hers and hers alone, the quicker will society respect motherhood. The quicker, too, will the world be made a fit place for her children to live.

Margaret Sanger#5

EugenicsBirth controlReproductive rightsFamily planningMotherhood

About this quote

What does it mean?
Women hold sole authority over reproductive choices, including whether to become mothers and how many children to have. This right demands responsibility to seek knowledge for informed decisions.
In plain terms
A woman alone decides if and when to have children, and society should respect this choice.
What can you take from it?
Reproductive autonomy lies with the woman, not the man or the state.

Where it applies

  • policy debates on family planning
  • personal reproductive decisions
  • healthcare access discussions

Putting it to work

  • advocating for contraception access
  • educating on family planning
  • supporting women's health initiatives

Questions to consider

  • Who should hold authority over reproductive decisions?
  • How does autonomy relate to responsibility?

Another view

The quote reflects early 20th-century views that may not fully address modern reproductive healthcare complexities.

More from Margaret Sanger

  1. The basic freedom of the world is woman's freedom. A free race cannot be born of slave mothers. A woman enchained cannot choose but give a measure of that bond…

    Permalink to quote #4
  2. While there are cases where even the law recognizes an abortion as justifiable if recommended by a physician, I assert that the hundreds of thousands of aborti…

    Permalink to quote #6
  3. Thus we see that the second and third children have a very good chance to live through the first year. Children arriving later have less and less chance, until…

    Permalink to quote #3

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