How we cite our quotes: (Sentence)
Quote #1
Before you can cultivate a garden, you must know something about gardening. You have got to give your seeds a proper soil in which to grow. You have got to give them sunlight and fresh air. You have got to give them space and the opportunity (if they are to lift their flowers to the sun), to strike their roots deep into that soil. (13-16)
Well, that all sounds beautiful. Too bad children aren't actually flowers.
But, says Sanger, the same principles apply. Flowers need certain things to grow, and children need certain things to grow: things like good parents and a positive home life, which birth control can help create. Hey, says Sanger to her listeners, everybody wants to help create a pretty garden right? Nobody wants to be that one house on the block with a yard full of weeds.
Quote #2
Those of you who have followed the sessions of this Conference must, I am sure, agree with me that the first real step toward the creation of a Children's Era must lie in providing the conditions of healthy life for children not only before birth but even more imperatively before conception. Human society must protect its children--yes, but prenatal care is most essential! The child-to-be, as yet not called into being, has rights no less imperative. (36-38)
This is very interesting because today Margaret Sanger is a huge villain to pro-life groups, but here she's actually advocating for the rights of children not only not yet born but not yet conceived. Again, she's linking child and maternal health in a way not often seen in modern rhetoric, which tends to emphasize one or the other.
Quote #3
At such a bureau of the unborn, the wise child might be able to find out a few things about its father—and its mother. Just think for a moment of this bureau where prospective parents might apply for a baby. Think of the questions they would be asked by the agent of the unborn or by the baby itself. (72-74)
This sounds weird and amazing. What would you ask your parents if you had this opportunity? Would you ask some of the same questions the imaginary baby does in the speech? Questions like, "Are you ready to be a parent? Are you healthy? How many siblings would I have? Where would I live? Would I get my own room and go to a good preschool?" Are there any answers that would make you think twice about being born? Can you imagine answering these questions for your future children? (We know, that's a lot of questions, but this quote is all about questions.)