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What do birth control, abortion access, and one of the most controversial figures in reproductive history have in common? Planned Parenthood.

For more than a century, Planned Parenthood has stood at the center of America's fight over reproductive autonomy. From Margaret Sanger's first birth control clinic in Brooklyn to the landmark Supreme Court cases that reshaped contraception and abortion access, the organization's history is deeply intertwined with the evolution of reproductive healthcare in the United States.

But the story is far more complicated than you might think.

In this episode of The Cadaver's Lessons, we're opening the case file on Planned Parenthood to explore its origins in the early birth control movement, Margaret Sanger's complicated legacy and ties to the eugenics movement, and the controversies surrounding the organization's efforts to expand access to contraception and family planning.

We'll trace the legal battles that changed reproductive healthcare, from the Comstock Act and landmark contraception cases to Roe v. Wade and the eventual overturning of federal abortion protections in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. We'll also examine the organization's evolving role in sexual health, HIV prevention, cancer screening, sex education, and gender-affirming care.

📚 References

1. Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Our history. Planned Parenthood.
2. Planned Parenthood Action Fund. End the global gag rule. Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
3. Indiana University Bloomington, ScholarWorks. Research repository resource on Planned Parenthood and reproductive history. Indiana University.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Notice to readers: FDA approval of Plan B emergency contraceptive pills. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1999.
5. Office of Population Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Title X program funding history. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
6. Office of Population Affairs, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. About Title X service grants. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
7. History.com Editors. Planned Parenthood v. Casey. HISTORY.
8. Supreme Court of the United States. Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, No. 19-1392. Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute.
9. Reuters Fact Check. Fact check: Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger’s 1939 quote on “exterminating” Black people. Reuters.