Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-06-29
birth control
IS A NECESSITY,
: SAYS OFFICER
British Health Leader Writes
on Relation of the League
of Nations to "More
Babies"
8v c. KILLICK WILLARD.
M D., Health Officer for Leice-



M d., Health Officer for Leice-
ster.
Written for Universal Service.
London, June 2S-What is the
relation between the league of ma
tons and the cry, More babies?"
Perhaps the answer may not be
apparent at first Let me approach
il from an unexpected angle:
The last report of the Birth Rate
commission called attention to the
fact that there is a very direct re-
lation between growing birth
rate and = na,ionalistc tendency
toward aggression and expansion
of territories, mot only for the
( PEACEFUL settlement but also for the
conquest and subjugation and ex
ploitation Of weaker peoples" This
always remains a chief cause of III
.ternational disputes and wars.
Was not the Pan-German dream
: OF national expansion and world ST.
:. .p:emacy the most important predis-
posing factor leading to the fright
full war just ended? And was not
=, this dream fostered and encouraged
by the rapid growth of population
due to the high birth-rate which
prevailed in Germany until recent
years? If the decrease in the BIRTH
rate. which set in in Germany some
IS years ago, had only begun, say,
Is years earlier, the deadly doctrine
of Pam ermanism would have
been Slapped at the roots.
>, 1t is matter of general gratifica-
ton that the league of nations
scheme-which will substitute arbi-
tiation for the arbitration of war
. .obviates the need for persistency to
rhe point of unreasonableness of
1.-THE cry, more babies!" To those
d. who would still false this cry be-
cause of the so-called Yellow Peril
in the east I would point out that
the population of the Far East is
rot increasing so fast as that Of
Europe, in spite of the high birth
rate which obtains, because the tci-
rbly high rate of infant mortality
more than neutralizes the increase.
Quality Against Quantity.
In the pre-war days, and indeed
during the war, those of US who
were bold enough to point out that
The quality of babies brought into
the world was more important than
the quantity were told it was es
santial to increase the population as
rapidly as possible, irrespective of
quality; otherwise Britain would
lost its position as a hrst-class
power-so the argument ran.
The same argument was used in
all countries at war, with the result
that simultaneously with the COM
petition in production of material
FOX Staying there ran a competition
In the production of new life. In
TACT, ali over the world there was
an outcry for more babies. This
demand was based on desire for
rational expansion masquerading
!, ander the name of patriotism.
y Now that even speclous heces-
sity for competition in international
birth rates is out of the way, we
can safely and prohtably pay more
attention than in the past to the
quality rather than the quantity of
the nations babies. To do this we
must encourage birth control. Let
US have all the Al babies we can
get, but let US discourage the
present high proportion of those of
tie C3 class.
Church Urges Birth Control.
In q recent Private Memoran-
dunn on the Misuse of Marriage"
issued by the church for the use cf
its clergy, it was frankly admitted
that there was need for birth con-
troll under certain circumstances
that is, when material means Of
support are deficient, or the health
of the mother calls for it, More re-
Gently the bishop of Hull said at
meeting of the lower house of cor
vocation of York, IF we are to
have 4 league of nations, the church
must modify its attitude of blessing
large families and of saying, BE
fruitful and multiply"
A knowledge of birth control
ought to be available for all VINO
desire it and my own experience as
health officer of Leicester tells me
that many poci C3 parents earnest
ly do desire it. Regular birth con-
troll clinics are in operation in Hol-
land which are recognized by the
state, and at these poor, overbur-
dened mothers can get proper ad-
vice and practical instruction from
sympathetic women doctors.
What we need for the future is
larger proportion than hitherto Of
sturdy, healthy children. Sane birth
control methods can achieve this