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Why did Margaret Sanger use the term birth control?

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Blister pack of 28 oral contraceptive pills arranged in four rows, with 21 white active pills followed by 7 orange inactive pills. Arrows indicate the order for taking pills. — birth control A 28-day package of birth control pills.

Margaret Sanger coined the term "birth control" around 1914–1915 to define a social movement dedicated to the voluntary regulation of human reproduction.1

Sanger, who worked as an obstetrical nurse on the Lower East Side of New York City, was motivated by the suffering she witnessed among impoverished women. She observed a direct link between uncontrolled fertility and high rates of infant and maternal mortality, as well as the tragic consequences of illegal, botched abortions.2

Driven by the ethical conviction that every woman has a fundamental right to avoid unwanted pregnancies, Sanger sought to remove legal barriers to contraception and provide women with the agency to determine the number and spacing of their children. By establishing the term "birth control," she aimed to frame the issue as a matter of personal autonomy and public health, ultimately leading to the founding of the American Birth Control League and the eventual legalization of contraceptive information and services in the United States.23