Birth control: Long U.S. struggle

A century ago, women had little defense against endless childbearing. Many produced a dozen or more babies, often wrecking their health.

A young nurse, Margaret Sanger, began crusading for birth control to save women from excessive pregnancy. She was denounced from all sides, even by clergy who said she was trying to thwart divine will. She was jailed eight times under puritanical Comstock Laws that forbade any mention of sex.