Recent from talks
Mary Calderone
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Mary Calderone
Mary Steichen Calderone (born Mary Rose Steichen; July 1, 1904 – October 24, 1998) was an American physician, author, public speaker, and public health advocate for reproductive rights and sex education.
In 1953, Mary Calderone became the first female medical director of Planned Parenthood. During her tenure, the organization started advocating for reform in abortion laws. Under her leadership, Planned Parenthood organized a national conference of medical professionals on the subject in 1955, known as “Abortion in the United States." This conference marked the first instance of physicians and professionals advocating for the reform of abortion laws, contributing significantly to the creation of a movement for the reform of abortion laws in the U.S.
In 1960, after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first oral contraceptive, Calderone lobbied the American Medical Association (AMA) to endorse contraception as standard medical practice. After a four-year effort, she successfully reversed the AMA's policy against providing birth control information to patients, helping to integrate birth control into mainstream American medicine.
Shifting her focus toward sex education, Calderone left Planned Parenthood in 1964 to establish and serve as the Executive Director of SIECUS (Sex Information and Education Council of the United States). During her time at SIECUS, she delivered lectures across the United States, addressing various audiences, including high school and college students, parents, educators, religious leaders, and professional groups, on the topic of sex education. She retired from SIECUS in 1982 at the age of 78.
Mary Calderone was born in New York, New York on July 1, 1904, as Mary Rose Steichen, the first child of Edward Steichen, a renowned Luxembourgish-American photographer and artist, and his first wife, Clara Emma Smith, an American singer. Following her birth, the Steichen family relocated to Paris, France, and then later to Voulangis, France, a small farming village approximately 32 km east of Paris. Her younger sister, Charlotte "Kate" Rodina Steichen, was born in Paris on May 27, 1908.
While in Voulangis, the family frequently received visits from various artists and colleagues of Edward Steichen, including Constantin Brâncuși, Auguste Rodin, Isadora Duncan, Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso. Biographer Jeffrey Moran suggests that Mary's upbringing in a bohemian environment, with her well-known father, her uncle, the poet Carl Sandburg, and Quaker background played a role in shaping her liberal perspective on sex and her passionate nature. For instance, at the age of six, she expressed her opinions about Constantin Brâncuși's sculptures, particularly his horizontal-headed bird pieces, which she believed would hinder the birds from singing. Brâncuși subsequently adjusted his artistic approach.
When the First World War began in 1914, the family fled to New York. Calderone's parents separated soon after and sent Mary to live in New York City at the home of their friends, Dr. Leopold and Elizabeth Stieglitz, brother and sister-in-law of Steichen's friend and photography colleague, Alfred Stieglitz. Calderone's interest in medicine began as she accompanied Leonard Stieglitz on his hospital rounds.
While in New York, Calderone attended the Brearley School for her secondary education. She then matriculated at Vassar College, earning her A.B. in Chemistry in 1925. Initially, she pursued a career in theater and studied at the American Laboratory Theatre for three years. Notably, she served as the model for the figures on the Pratt Institute flagpole, a bronze sculpture created by her uncle, Willard Dryden Paddock, and erected in 1926 to commemorate the soldiers who served in World War I.
Hub AI
Mary Calderone AI simulator
(@Mary Calderone_simulator)
Mary Calderone
Mary Steichen Calderone (born Mary Rose Steichen; July 1, 1904 – October 24, 1998) was an American physician, author, public speaker, and public health advocate for reproductive rights and sex education.
In 1953, Mary Calderone became the first female medical director of Planned Parenthood. During her tenure, the organization started advocating for reform in abortion laws. Under her leadership, Planned Parenthood organized a national conference of medical professionals on the subject in 1955, known as “Abortion in the United States." This conference marked the first instance of physicians and professionals advocating for the reform of abortion laws, contributing significantly to the creation of a movement for the reform of abortion laws in the U.S.
In 1960, after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first oral contraceptive, Calderone lobbied the American Medical Association (AMA) to endorse contraception as standard medical practice. After a four-year effort, she successfully reversed the AMA's policy against providing birth control information to patients, helping to integrate birth control into mainstream American medicine.
Shifting her focus toward sex education, Calderone left Planned Parenthood in 1964 to establish and serve as the Executive Director of SIECUS (Sex Information and Education Council of the United States). During her time at SIECUS, she delivered lectures across the United States, addressing various audiences, including high school and college students, parents, educators, religious leaders, and professional groups, on the topic of sex education. She retired from SIECUS in 1982 at the age of 78.
Mary Calderone was born in New York, New York on July 1, 1904, as Mary Rose Steichen, the first child of Edward Steichen, a renowned Luxembourgish-American photographer and artist, and his first wife, Clara Emma Smith, an American singer. Following her birth, the Steichen family relocated to Paris, France, and then later to Voulangis, France, a small farming village approximately 32 km east of Paris. Her younger sister, Charlotte "Kate" Rodina Steichen, was born in Paris on May 27, 1908.
While in Voulangis, the family frequently received visits from various artists and colleagues of Edward Steichen, including Constantin Brâncuși, Auguste Rodin, Isadora Duncan, Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso. Biographer Jeffrey Moran suggests that Mary's upbringing in a bohemian environment, with her well-known father, her uncle, the poet Carl Sandburg, and Quaker background played a role in shaping her liberal perspective on sex and her passionate nature. For instance, at the age of six, she expressed her opinions about Constantin Brâncuși's sculptures, particularly his horizontal-headed bird pieces, which she believed would hinder the birds from singing. Brâncuși subsequently adjusted his artistic approach.
When the First World War began in 1914, the family fled to New York. Calderone's parents separated soon after and sent Mary to live in New York City at the home of their friends, Dr. Leopold and Elizabeth Stieglitz, brother and sister-in-law of Steichen's friend and photography colleague, Alfred Stieglitz. Calderone's interest in medicine began as she accompanied Leonard Stieglitz on his hospital rounds.
While in New York, Calderone attended the Brearley School for her secondary education. She then matriculated at Vassar College, earning her A.B. in Chemistry in 1925. Initially, she pursued a career in theater and studied at the American Laboratory Theatre for three years. Notably, she served as the model for the figures on the Pratt Institute flagpole, a bronze sculpture created by her uncle, Willard Dryden Paddock, and erected in 1926 to commemorate the soldiers who served in World War I.
Recent media