Margaret Sanger’s vision for birth control access and population control has a complex and often controversial legacy, especially in light of her association with eugenics and the establishment of programs like the Negro Project. Launched in nineteen thirty-nine, the Negro Project was ostensibly meant to provide birth control to African American communities in the South. However, Sanger’s writings reveal her belief in controlling population growth among groups she viewed as “unfit,” including people of color, immigrants, and those with disabilities. Her strategy included working with Black ministers and community leaders to promote birth control within their communities, aiming to gain trust while cloaking the program’s eugenic undertones.
In the years that followed, the Negro Project would evolve into Planned Parenthood, which continues to be one of the largest providers of reproductive health services in the United States. Although Planned Parenthood today operates with a mission of providing accessible reproductive healthcare, Sanger’s involvement in eugenics casts a lasting shadow over the organization’s early days. The project’s approach—advocating for population control in targeted communities—reflects a troubling aspect of reproductive health policy in the early twentieth century.
As society reassesses the history of eugenics and its impact on marginalized communities, the connection between the Negro Project and Planned Parenthood has prompted important discussions about ethics, accountability, and the need for reproductive health services that respect and uplift all communities equally. While Planned Parenthood has since distanced itself from Sanger’s views and ideology, the organization’s history serves as a reminder of the importance of transparency and ethical responsibility in public health initiatives.
