New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-30
A SIGN OF THE TIMES
Discussion of Birth Control Hailed
as Progress Of Enlightenment.
o the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
| Sir: The publication in your paper Of in
terviews on the subject of birth control is
one of the encouraging signs Of the times.
As Mrs. A. N. Dodge says. Ten years ago
such subject would not have been consid-
cred proper for conversation" If the editor
of The Tribune had permitted the discussion
cf such question in the columns of this
Taper ten years. ago he would undoubtedly
lave been prosecuted by our postal author-
ties. as more obscure editors are prosecuted
even to this day. Not so many years ago
Mr. Bonaparte, then Assistant Attorney Gen
oral, in referring to the case of an editor
who had been indicted for dealing with the
FOX question in his paper, said, ANY and
all discussion of the question is obscene,
and therefore unavailable. 1t should take
lace only behind closed doors between the
physician and his patient"
| suppose the reason have not produced
Havelock Ellis or FOrel IS because We
were so busy producing Comstocks.
The birth control propaganda will go on
whether the present attempt to change the
laws against giving out cOntraceptive infor-
been sown by Or. William ]. Robinson, the
pioneer agita.or Of this question in America.
are beginning TO sprout. and Comstockery
cannot prevent them from taking root Fam
lily limitation is practsed more widely in the
United States than in most other countries,
in spite of the brutal laws against the
spreading Of information of means for the
prevention Of conception. Thanks to these
laws, however, much of the birth restriction
is brought about by crude operations by
bungling ignorant operators, or not infre-
quently by the poor women themselves. Sane
and rational legislation would be largely in
strumental in supplanting dangerous abor-
tions by safe and harmless preventive
measures.
For the present organized effort to have
these anachronstic laws repealed or changed
thanks are due to Mr. Comstock and his CO.
operators, who unwitti1gly started the ball
rolling. Mrs. Margaret Sanger was indicted
early last summer for advocating birth con-
troll through the prevention of conception
Mrs. Sanger, in order to temporarily avoid
Imprisonment became fugitive from "jus-
tice" At this time there was only luke
warm public interest shown in a projected
organization for combating Mr.. Comstock and
his laws. Had he let the matter rest then and
there no birth control league or committee
On birth control wouli have been formed at
this time. Some months later however, one
OF Mr. Comstocks spies arrested William
Sanger, ,he husband of Margaret Sanger, on
the charge of having given said spy a copy
of Mrs. Sanger's pamphlet on family limita-
ton. This last exploit Of Mr.. Comstock had
the effect of arousing the interest of a group
of enlightened and public spirited men and
women, who at once organized the Birth Con-
troll League, which will give a good account
of itself in the future.
The arguments against HYGIENE family |
limitation advanced by Mr.. Comstock, Mrs. |
Dodge and Miss Strachan in The Tribune of
May 22 are not worth serious consideration |
They are on par with the arguments hurled
ct Semmelweiss when he questioned the at
ole time accepted belief that it the will
Of God that very large percentage of women
should die in chid-bed. Antisepss and
asepsis had their enemies. and il is but nat
ural that the new beliefs with regard to birth |
control will be attacked, but the American
idea" will prevail in he end
otto BOBSIEN.
New York, May %, 1915.