Planned Parenthood of America
Planned Parenthood is an American organization devoted to individual determination with regards to matters of fertility. The group operates nearly 900 health centers in the United States and is a vocal political advocate of sexual education and a pro-choice position on the issue of abortion.
Planned Parenthood began as the American Birth Control League, which was founded in 1923 under the leadership of Margaret Sanger, a radical birth control advocate who had been jailed numerous times for breaking New York's Comstock Laws against disseminating birth control information. The group was influential in liberalizing laws against birth control throughout the 1920s and 1930s before changing its name to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. in 1942.
Planned Parenthood has since been an extremely vocal advocate of birth control and abortion reforms. It is vehemently opposed by pro-life citizens and organizations.
For more information, see the article on abortion.
Planned Parenthood was one of the co-sponsors of the March for Women's Lives, held April 25, 2004.
