The eugenics movement began in the late 1870s due to the idea that the lower classes, criminals, poverty, weak minds, and diseases were hereditary and that reproduction would create an unfit population in the United States. . Forced sterilizations and the introduction of birth control began with the demand to eliminate populations considered inferior. The early history of the birth control pill was a form of eugenics and was not only oppressive toward women of color but against women across the United States. During the second decade of the 20th century, the American birth control movement became an important topic among women. Americans. It was at this time that Margaret Sanger, the eventual founder of Planned Parenthood, became involved in the radical movement for voluntary motherhood and the distribution of contraceptives (Hartmann). As a nurse, she helped poor women give birth and saw the effect of having too many children on these women's well-being. She also saw the suffering, pain and death of many women who resorted to clandestine and unsafe abortions to escape pregnancy (Shaw, Lee). Prohibited by the Comstock Laws, which "made it a felony to sell or distribute any material that could be used for contraception or abortion" ("Comstock Act of 1873"); Sanger was unable to share information on how to prevent pregnancy. In her article, My Fight For Birth Control, Sanger tells the story of a woman wanting to know how to avoid pregnancy. The doctor's solution was: "I'll tell you the only safe thing to do." Tell Jake to sleep on the roof! » (My fight for birth control). A few months later, the same woman died following an abortion. From that point on, Margaret became adamant about how women should have knowledge about contraception, a...... middle of paper ...... anti-irritation pill while they were targeted to reduce population growth because of their socioeconomic class. and racing. African American women were oppressed due to their history of forced sterilization and African American men who wanted them to reproduce quickly. Planned Parenthoods were strategically placed in areas heavily populated by African Americans, and subsequently their growth rate declined significantly. Women of all races, socioeconomic classes, and education levels have experienced the oppression of social stigma related to promiscuity once they receive a prescription for the birth control pill. Finally, women also felt oppressed by feeling like they could never refuse sex just because they were on the pill. The early history of the birth control pill proves that it was not only oppressive to minorities, but also to women across the United States..