 Numerous times in her career, local government officials prevented Sanger from speaking by shuttering a facility or threatening her hosts.In Boston in 1929, city officials under the leadership of James Curley threatened to arrest her if she spoke.In response she stood on stage, silent, with a gag over her mouth, while her speech was read by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr.

After World War I, Sanger increasingly appealed to the societal need to limit births by those least able to afford children.