---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nearly 100 years ago, when Planned…"
description: "\"Nearly 100 years ago, when Planned Parenthood was founded, birth control was illegal.\" — Cecile Richards"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37d/cecile-richards-16593_100-years_nearly-100-years-ago-when-planned-parent_3081010.jpg"
---

#  Nearly 100 years ago, when Planned Parenthood was founded…

![“Nearly 100 years ago, when Planned Parenthood was founded, birth control was illegal.” quote by Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37d/cecile-richards-16593_100-years_nearly-100-years-ago-when-planned-parent_3081010.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37d/cecile-richards-16593_100-years_nearly-100-years-ago-when-planned-parent_3081010.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37d/cecile-richards-16593_100-years_nearly-100-years-ago-when-planned-parent_3081010.jpg)

> “Nearly 100 years ago, when Planned Parenthood was founded, birth control was illegal.”

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Planned Parenthood began when birth control was illegal, highlighting its historic advocacy role.

**In simple terms:** Founded when birth control was illegal, showing its activist roots.

Key Takeaway

Support reproductive rights and access.

Themes

reproductive health activism history

Mood

determined hopeful

Type

activist historical

When to use this quote

- health policy
- advocacy
- education

Key Concepts

legal reform women’s rights public health

Questions to Reflect On

- What progress remains needed?
- How can history inform current policy?

A Different Perspective

Legal barriers still affect access today.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Birth control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth-control/) [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Parenthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenthood/) [Planned parenthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planned-parenthood/)

## Related quotes

> [In my opinion, the battles over birth control and Planned Parenthood are primarily neither political nor religious. This is an issue of equality for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/in-my-opinion-the-battles-over-birth-control-and-planned-parenthood/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [If you aren't creeped out by the No Birth Control Left Behind rhetoric of the White House and Planned Parenthood, you aren't listening closely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-malkin/if-you-aren-t-creeped-out-by-the-no-birth-control-left-behind/)

[Michelle Malkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-malkin/)

> [When I was 16 and I wanted information about birth control, Planned Parenthood was the first and only place that I could think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leana-s-wen/when-i-was-16-and-i-wanted-information-about-birth-control-planned/)

[Leana S. Wen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leana-s-wen/)

> [The most successful educational approach to the Negro is throgh a religious appeal. We do not want word to go out that we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sanger/the-most-successful-educational-approach-to-the-negro-is-throgh-a/)

[Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sanger/)

> [I don't think most conservatives are against access to birth control, but they are wary of funding things like Planned Parenthood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomi-lahren/i-don-t-think-most-conservatives-are-against-access-to-birth-control/)

[Tomi Lahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomi-lahren/)

> [As I say, I can't wait until Congress - half of Congress can get pregnant so we can quit fighting about birth control and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/as-i-say-i-can-t-wait-until-congress-half-of-congress-can-get/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [The campaign for birth control is not merely of eugenic value, but is practically identical with the final aims of eugenics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sanger/the-campaign-for-birth-control-is-not-merely-of-eugenic-value-but-is/)

[Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sanger/)

> [More children from the fit, less from the unfit -- that is the chief aim of birth control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sanger/more-children-from-the-fit-less-from-the-unfit-that-is-the-chief-aim/)

[Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sanger/)

> [Consider this for a moment: House Republicans would rather cut off a woman's access to birth control, cancer screenings, and other preventative care from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/consider-this-for-a-moment-house-republicans-would-rather-cut-off-a/)

[Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/)

> [As an advocate of birth control I wish to point out that the unbalance between the birth rate of the 'unfit' and the 'fit,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sanger/as-an-advocate-of-birth-control-i-wish-to-point-out-that-the/)

[Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sanger/)

> [Birth control itself, often denounced as a violation of natural law, is nothing more or less than the facilitation of the process of weeding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sanger/birth-control-itself-often-denounced-as-a-violation-of-natural-law-is/)

[Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sanger/)

> [There are fewer unwanted pregnancies and fewer occasions where a woman is confronted with that decision if she has access to family planning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-casey-jr/there-are-fewer-unwanted-pregnancies-and-fewer-occasions-where-a/)

[Bob Casey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-casey-jr/)

> [If a woman goes to Planned Parenthood for birth control and discovers in the course of her visit that she has high blood pressure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-johnson/if-a-woman-goes-to-planned-parenthood-for-birth-control-and-discovers/)

[Abby Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-johnson/)

> [The GOP wants to cut funding for birth control, place undue burdens on clinics that serve low income women and families, and defund Planned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-haaland/the-gop-wants-to-cut-funding-for-birth-control-place-undue-burdens-on/)

[Deb Haaland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-haaland/)

> [I have always stood up to protect women's access to safe and legal abortion, birth control and health care at Planned Parenthood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gillibrand/i-have-always-stood-up-to-protect-women-s-access-to-safe-and-legal/)

[Kirsten Gillibrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gillibrand/)

## More by Cecile Richards

> [I worked with women who were nurses and workers, women who worked in hotels, janitors who basically cleaned buildings, worked two jobs just to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/i-worked-with-women-who-were-nurses-and-workers-women-who-worked-in/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [We applaud Congress for extending equitable abortion coverage to female Peace Corps volunteers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/we-applaud-congress-for-extending-equitable-abortion-coverage-to/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [If you look at the workforce and the way our laws work around so many issues, it's as if women are supposed to retrofit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/if-you-look-at-the-workforce-and-the-way-our-laws-work-around-so-many/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [My dad was a civil rights lawyer, and he was actually defending conscientious objectors to the Vietnam War.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/my-dad-was-a-civil-rights-lawyer-and-he-was-actually-defending/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [I can't imagine that my children would have fewer rights, and less access to the safest, best health care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/i-can-t-imagine-that-my-children-would-have-fewer-rights-and-less/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [Even though my mom was talented and had a college degree, she lived in the era when the conventional wisdom in Dallas was that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/even-though-my-mom-was-talented-and-had-a-college-degree-she-lived-in/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [The women who walk into Planned Parenthood clinics come from every background, every political persuasion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/the-women-who-walk-into-planned-parenthood-clinics-come-from-every/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [The national policy of promoting abstinence-only programs is a $1.5 billion failure and teenage girls are paying the real price.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/the-national-policy-of-promoting-abstinence-only-programs-is-a-1-5/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [All my life, I've been lucky to work in social justice, starting as a labor organizer working with low-wage working women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/all-my-life-i-ve-been-lucky-to-work-in-social-justice-starting-as-a/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [Thanks to President Obama, being a woman will no longer be a pre-existing condition!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/thanks-to-president-obama-being-a-woman-will-no-longer-be-a-pre/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [Dealing with men in Congress - for the most part, it's pretty dispiriting in terms of the lack of regard they have for women.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/dealing-with-men-in-congress-for-the-most-part-it-s-pretty/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [I think we're all fighting for the day in which partisan politics is no longer something that is used to attack women's access to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/i-think-we-re-all-fighting-for-the-day-in-which-partisan-politics-is/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [And because of President Obama, more women than ever are serving in the Cabinet and on the Supreme Court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/and-because-of-president-obama-more-women-than-ever-are-serving-in/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [I'm grateful to women who have the privilege and ability to tell their stories and applaud them for doing that. And also recognize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/i-m-grateful-to-women-who-have-the-privilege-and-ability-to-tell/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

> [It's better to be a corporation today than to be a woman in front of the Supreme Court.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/it-s-better-to-be-a-corporation-today-than-to-be-a-woman-in-front-of/)

[Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

[Explore all 39 Cecile Richards quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/)

## More 100 years quotes

> [If the whole world depends on today's youth, I can't see the world lasting another 100 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-the-whole-world-depends-on-today-s-youth-i-can-t-see-the-world/)

[Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/)

> [The most significant halachic authority of the last 100 years, whose positions helped fashion a balanced and moderate Judaism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovadia-yosef/the-most-significant-halachic-authority-of-the-last-100-years-whose/)

[Ovadia Yosef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovadia-yosef/)

> [Separate and unequal didn't work 100 years ago. It will not work today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/separate-and-unequal-didn-t-work-100-years-ago-it-will-not-work-today/)

[Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/)

> [Everything we have developed over the last 100 years should be destroyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pentti-linkola/everything-we-have-developed-over-the-last-100-years-should-be/)

[Pentti Linkola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pentti-linkola/)

> [“If humans can live for 100 years, why do companies die so young.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sukant-ratnakar/if-humans-can-live-for-100-years-why-do-companies-die-so-young/)

[Sukant Ratnakar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sukant-ratnakar/)

> [If you look at the history of our country over the last 100 years, there have been periods where science and research have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/if-you-look-at-the-history-of-our-country-over-the-last-100-years/)

[Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/)

> [“None of this will matter in 100 years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/my-anonymous-friend/none-of-this-will-matter-in-100-years/)

My Anonymous Friend

> [We can't keep thinking in a limited way about what cinema is. We still don't know what cinema is. Maybe cinema could only really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/we-can-t-keep-thinking-in-a-limited-way-about-what-cinema-is-we-still/)

[Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/)

> [That's great. I'm 100 years old and people are still interested.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-fuhr/that-s-great-i-m-100-years-old-and-people-are-still-interested/)

Grant Fuhr

> [It took Hong Kong 100 years to become what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-xiaobo/it-took-hong-kong-100-years-to-become-what-it-is/)

[Liu Xiaobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-xiaobo/)

> [Just because society, and government, and whatever was different 100 years ago, doesn't mean that people didn't have sex, pick their nose, or swear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/just-because-society-and-government-and-whatever-was-different-100/)

[Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/)

> [Americans, they have an incredible operatic tradition: the Metropolitan Opera House is - if not the most prestigious - one of the most prestigious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-carreras/americans-they-have-an-incredible-operatic-tradition-the-metropolitan/)

[Jose Carreras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-carreras/)

> [I wake up in the morning and I still have a passion for what I do, and I'll be doing it when I'm 105,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-collins/i-wake-up-in-the-morning-and-i-still-have-a-passion-for-what-i-do-and/)

[Jackie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-collins/)

> [Film, if properly cared for, will last almost 100 years, but digital will not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/film-if-properly-cared-for-will-last-almost-100-years-but-digital/)

[Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/)

> [“In days of yore (about 100 years before olden days, but about 50 years later than ancient times),”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/in-days-of-yore-about-100-years-before-olden-days-but-about-50-years/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

Browse all 160 100 years quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Nearly 100 years ago, when Planned Parenthood was founded, birth control was illegal.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Cecile Richards"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/nearly-100-years-ago-when-planned-parenthood-was-founded-birth/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "100 years"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/nearly-100-years-ago-when-planned-parenthood-was-founded-birth/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37d/cecile-richards-16593_100-years_nearly-100-years-ago-when-planned-parent_3081010.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37d/cecile-richards-16593_100-years_nearly-100-years-ago-when-planned-parent_3081010.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37d/cecile-richards-16593_100-years_nearly-100-years-ago-when-planned-parent_3081010.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Nearly 100 years ago, when Planned Parenthood was founded, birth control was illegal.” — Cecile Richards",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Cecile Richards",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Nearly 100 years ago, when Planned...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/nearly-100-years-ago-when-planned-parenthood-was-founded-birth/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/nearly-100-years-ago-when-planned-parenthood-was-founded-birth/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```