The Illinois Birth Control League (IBCL) was an organization created by the Chicago Citizens' Committee and the

Chicago Woman's Club The Chicago Woman's Club was formed in 1876 by women in Chicago who were interested in "self and social improvement." The club was notable for creating educational opportunities in the Chicago region and helped create the first juvenile court in th ...

, to provide information and education about

birth control Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

. Later, the organization helped create the first

birth control clinic Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. The early birth control clinics run by IBCL often had staff members on hand who were fluent in several languages, in order to better serve immigrant communities. The IBCL also sponsored discussions about issues relating to

family planning Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marita ...

and birth control.

History

In 1916,

Margaret Sanger Margaret Higgins Sanger (born Margaret Louise Higgins; September 14, 1879September 6, 1966), also known as Margaret Sanger Slee, was an American birth control activist, sex educator, writer, and nurse. Sanger popularized the term "birth control ...

visited Chicago to give a speech against

Comstock laws The Comstock laws were a set of federal acts passed by the United States Congress under the Grant administration along with related state laws.Dennett p.9 The "parent" act (Sect. 211) was passed on March 3, 1873, as the Act for the Suppression of ...

and in support of birth control clinics. The speech drew around 1,200 people and "inspired the creation of the Illinois Birth Control League." By 1919, the league had been set up and was advertised in the ''

Birth Control Review ''Birth Control Review'' was a lay magazine established and edited by Margaret Sanger in 1917, three years after her friend, Otto Bobsein, coined the term "birth control" to describe voluntary motherhood or the ability of a woman to space childr ...

''. In 1923, the IBCL opened its first birth control clinic, which was directed by

Rachelle Yarros Rachelle Slobodinsky Yarros (May 18, 1869March 17, 1946) was an American physician who supported the use of birth control and the social hygiene movement. A graduate of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, Yarros resided at Hull House for ...

. This clinic was the second of its kind in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The clinics enabled women who could not afford a private physician to receive practical

advice. Originally, the clinics were meant to be free clinics, but the city would not grant them the necessary license from the health commissioner. Because of this, the IBCL charged a "nominal fee" to give out oral information about birth control. In 1924, the IBCL was again denied a permit for the clinic to operate as a public clinic where information could be given out for free. IBCL opened a second birth control office in 1925. By 1937, over 20,000 women had been seen by the several clinics run by IBCL. The IBCL and other women continued to fight against laws preventing the dissemination of information about birth control in Illinois during the late 1920s. In 1934, the IBCL, along with the

, the Birth Control League and the Social Hygiene League of Chicago created a resolution, backed by three hundred women, to allow

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...

ers to discuss family planning and to refer clients to birth control clinics. IBCL incorporated in April 1924 with the name, "Illinois Birth Control League" with the mission of philanthropic and educational work relating to family planning. The IBCL became the Planned Parenthood League of Illinois in 1946, and then later, the

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...

Association, Chicago Area in 1947.

Peggy Carr Peggy Carr (born ) is a Vincentian journalist, poet, and diplomat. Now based in Taiwan, she has served as a representative of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the country. Biography Carr was born in Saint Vincent around 1955. She grew up in a ...

was the last president of the IBCL and oversaw the transition to Planned Parenthood.

References

Citations

Sources

External links

Illinois Birth Control League

Planned Parenthood of Illinois
{{Authority control Planned Parenthood Birth control in the United States 1924 establishments in Illinois Women's organizations based in the United States History of women in Illinois