Arizona republican., 1913-01-06
DOCTORS IN
 TIE CRUSADE
Resolution Adopted by the Maricopa County Medical Society in Favor of the Movement to Promote Healthy Marriages

The Maricopa County Medical as sociation joining with the Ministerial | association in the movement to pre- vent the marriage of the unfit at d ! late meeting adopted the following l resolutions:
 BE TT RESOLVED. That the Mari | copa County Medical Society will en- 1 dorse and assist any movement to | educate the public in matters pertain 1 ing to health, including the import | ance of physical health in both parties contemplating maria se. We believe in discouraging the mar riage of people when they obviously cannot procreate healthy offspring owing to disease in themselves, and when the probabilities are that the result of such marriage will be the spread of disease or the birth of children who will be burden upon society by reason of disease inn becility. criminality or deGeneracy. In making this endorsement, the sO- ciety wishes to call attention to well known facts that the increase in crime vice and degeneracy depends to large extent upon the existence Of disease or mental defects in parents and the inheritance of these diseases and defects by children.
 We wish to emphasize the fact that great burdens are imposed upon so- ciety in the form of imbeciles. crim- inals and inebriates. the fruit of mar riageS of people who are unable to procreate healthy children. That syphilis sonorrhea, mental defective ness and drunkenness in parents may mean defective. deformed and crim- inally inclined children. and so long as the marriage of such people con tinues. society must continue to tax itself to care for their offspring.
 We recommend a persistent cam paign of education to bring Vividly before the people the importance of Healthier marriages, the inevitable re suits of neglect of the question, and the possibilities and difficulties fac ing any such education among people governed primarily by natural de- sires
 The society recommends the fOrmu- lation and adoption of plan of edu- cation in the public schools of the state which will give such instruction in natural graded manner as will culminatc in a Knowledge of the true meaning of the sexual instincts, marriage and procreation, as well as the dangers of prostitution of these functions to unnatural ends.
 The society pledges it's support as an educational force in bringing to the attention of the people of Arizona the importance of health matters in general and of this particular phase which is now being made prominent.
 The MaricOpa County Medical So ciety endorses the proposal to secure legislation aimed to prohibit marriage among the following classes of defect i've persons
 ID Those of unsound mind, includ- ing not only the insane but imb"ciles. idiots and epileptics as well.
 p Those afflicted with any vener cal disease.
 C3) Those afflicted with tuberculo- sis in the third or advanced stage.
 (D Chronic alcoholics.
 The society recommends as essential to a thorough examination and an un- preiudiced opinion that the eXamina- tions prior to marriage shall be made bv a board of competent physicians, who shall be employed by the state and who shall not. during their in- cumbency be engaged in private prac- tice nor actively engaged in any other business.
 The foregoing resolutions were duly adopted. With one dissenting voice, at meeting of the Maricopa County Medical society held at Phoenix. Arizona. December 21, 1912.
 EDWARD GODFREY. Jr.
 Secretary.