Mary Dennett

Mary Coffin Ware Dennett
Mary Ware Dennett, ca. 1892–1896.
Courtesy of Schlesinger Library
Born(1872-04-04)April 4, 1872 in Worcester, Massachusetts[1]
DiedJuly 25, 1947(1947-07-25) (aged 75) in Valatie, New York
OccupationActivist

Mary Coffin Ware Dennett (April 4, 1872 – July 25, 1947) was an American women's rights activist, pacifist, homeopathic advocate,[2] and pioneer in the areas of birth control, sex education, and women's suffrage. She co-founded the National Birth Control League in 1915 together with Jessie Ashley and Clara Gruening Stillman. She founded the Voluntary Parenthood League, served in the National American Women's Suffrage Association, co-founded the Twilight Sleep Association, and wrote a famous pamphlet on sex education and birth control. A famous legal case against her eventually became the catalyst for overturning the Comstock laws.[3]

  1. ^ Craig, John M. (1995). ""The Sex Side of Life": The Obscenity Case of Mary Ware Dennett". Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies. 15 (3): 145–166. doi:10.2307/3346796. JSTOR 3346796.
  2. ^ Chen 1996, p. 241.
  3. ^ Spaulding, Sharon. "The Sex Education Pamphlet That Sparked a Landmark Censorship Case". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-02.