Evening star., 1921-07-31
MATERNITY BILL NOT
FOR DISTRICT WOMEN
Assurances Given That They Will Be Cared
for Later in Other Legislation-Pro-
visions of the Measure. j.

mother in fourteen important foreign
countries than in the United States. In
1918. according to census statistics. 23.-
900 mothers died in this country from
causes connected with childbirth. and
nearly a quarter Of million babies un-
der one year of age died. too.
The children's bureau has studied the
situation in both urban and rural areas
in the United States, and has found that
the mothers of the country. in very
large numbers, have received no advice
or trained care during pregnancy; that
many mothers have had no trained at
tendants at the time of the birth Of
their babies. and that there has been
practically no organized effort, particu-
larly in the rural districts, to meet the
need for instruction IN prenatal and in
FAINT hygiene.
Under the maternity bill it is hoped
that the federal government. acting in
cooperation with the states, will blaze
the way for such needed instruction. and
that the movement will result in saving
the lives of thousands of mothers and
infants. with consequent economic
saving to the country.
Appropriations Authorized.
Concretely, the maternity bill au-
thorizes the appropriation of $780,
state. for the purpose of meeting the
expenses of the cooperative work
between the federal government and
the states-including services and
printing. In addition to this appro-
priation. the bill authorizes an an
divided among the states in the ratio
of their population to the entire,
population of continental United
States. But none of this million dol
lars will be turned over to any state
for its use until that state has appro-
priated similar sum for use in the
work of instructing mothers in the
care of infants and of themselves lin
the prenatal stage
To meet the objection that the
government was proposing to estab-
lish a system of state control of the
serted the following language in the
bill:
That no plans of states under
this act shall provide for any official
or agent or representative entering
any home over the objection of the
parents, or the. person standing in
loce PARENTS, nor shall any en-
ployes of the children's bureau have
any right to enter any home over
the objection of the parents. or either
of them. or the person standing in
loce PARENTS"
Work Done In District.
The federal Congress is the "legis-
lature" for the District of Columbia.
If the District is to benefit under the
so-called maternity legislation. Con-
gress would have to designate the
agency here to act, and with which
the children's bureau would coop
crate. 1t is true that Congress has
authority to appropriate directly for
the District of Columbia anything
that it desires and for any purpose.
LII ldCl, SOHSIeSS HdS pidSSu III ehS
District appropriation law for the
present fiscal year SIS, 900 to be used
by the Child Welfare Society, under
contract entered into with the health
department of the District govern
ment, for clinical examination of
children under six years of age. The
Child Welfare Society has been or
ganized by public spirited citizens.
who have contributed time and
money to the cause of instructing
mothers in the care of their children,
and the sum contributed by Congress
for this purpose is only part of the
money expended. 1t might well be
that Congress would designate this
organization to act in the District
under the provisions of the ma
ternity bill if that measure were ex-
tended to cover the National Capital.
The maternity bill is designed to
be permanent legislation. covering
the entire country. The appropria-
tions made by Congress for the Dis
trict are annual. subject to change
from year to year, or to elimination.
1t would appear, therefore, that there
is good reason for the inclusion of
the District under the provisions of
the maternity bill. The mothers here
are no more able to care for their
babies ''by instinct" than are the
mothers in other parts of the country.