The Washington times., 1923-02-03
FOES OF BIRTH
NTROL ARE
SCORED
Mrs. Harold MacG rath Brands
Opponents Of Theory as
"cowards. =
BY CHESTER b. BAHN.
international News Service.


SYRACUSE. N. r.. Feb. 81
.'Cowards."
This is the characteristics OF
Mrs. Harold MacGrath, wife Of the
noted American novelist, OF those
women who refuse to approve and
sanction birth control.
Leaders In the present effort to
amend the existing State laws and
make birth control possible, and
one Of the speakers upon whom Al
silence when they stopped a birth
control state conference there,
Mrs. MacGrath returned to her
home in this city to assail that
joke, Anthony Comstock," father
OF the present State law, and to
preach the need OF its nodifica-
ton.
Reveals Aims.
Discussing the aims of the birth
control leaders in this State. Mrs.
MacGrath said:
"Most women. and the public.
and the politician3 fail to grasp
what we are striving for. who
have first hand knowledge Of the
terrible and sorrowful effects ig.
norance brings to women. ! per-
s0nally know OF one woman, who
was q friend Of mine. who took
her own life because she suffered
through ignorance. I know OF sew
women. who died because physi-
clans, under our law, could not
give them information which would
have SAVED their lives
"It In great joke. this COM
posite law OF our State, fathered
by Anthony Comstock. who must
have been great joke himself, in
his conception of what is god and
what ID not good for modern mon
and women.
Women weak" Too.
Women show themselves to be
az weak as men are won't to pic
ture them when this topic, insti.
tuted for their direct benefit, comes
up. Just the other day, at q gath
ering Of women in this city, we were
talking about birth control and its
possibilities. know I must have
shocked the assemblage when I
voiced my opinions on expressions
from some of those women who
stated they thought the practice Of
birth control IMMORAL.
"I asked those who had been i'm
moral before their marriage to stand
up and a gasp went around the
circle.
ST believe 1t is the function of
physicians to save lives wherever
possible and under all circumstances.
Is it not a crying pity. then. that
in this matter of birth control their
mouths are sealed, their knowledge
walled up, by a law, a foolish, pru-
dish law, which is costing thousands
of lives and untold misery annually
to thousands, yes, millions?
1--WE seek merely to permit physi.
clans to reveal to women, at their
discretion, that whcih they should
know. Most women who have no
children practice either self-control
or birth control. Those who have
neither are the ones who suffer.
Men are so prudish, and politicians
are SO selfish. Mrs. Sanger Is a
wonderful woman; her efforts are
not appreciated because they are not
understood, and politicians and So
called reformers and public guard
ians of our morals will not take
time nor trouble to acquaint them
selves with what we are trying to
accomplish.
"It is time, in my opinion, that
we look at this matter in the light
of q '1ovement for the public good,
for the betterment of the health of
mothers, for making our progeny
better men and women physically
and for stripping from the public
viewpoint Of sex relations the false
and misleadin~ disguise which has
enshroude" and beclouded it for SO
many years, and especially since An.
thony Comstock and his kind put
so many foolish laws on the statute
books of this State"