Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-12-06
CHARGE |RRECULAR|TY IN COUNTING OF
BALLOTS WARD 8, PORTLAND ELECTION
N. Y. BIRTH CONTROL
CLINIC CLAIMED BY
LEADER SANGER

New York, Dec 5-Nine hundred
cases have been accepted at a birth
control clinic on Fifth avenue which
mas peen in semi secret operation
for nearly a year. Margaret Sanger.
oft-arrested president of the Ameri-
can Birth Control League disclosed
today at a public jubilee luncheon
of 400 prominent men and women
advocates.
The clinic is believed to be the first
in the United States to continue in
operation undisturbed by the police
Tor any length of time. When Chief
Inspector Lahey learned of the insti-
sutton on. Fifth avenue he ordered
detectives of the districts to begin an
immediate investigation of its meth
DDS and clienteI.
In Brooklyn. in 1916, the last pub
lie attempt to conduct a birth con-
troll clinic was met with a raid by
the police and the arrest of Mrs.
sanger, Ethel Byrne, and Fania Min
dell. Mrs. Byrne was sentenced to
Governor Whitman after ain eleven
day hunger strike. Mrs. Sanger has
been arrested several times since,
and served at least one 80 day Jail
sentence.
A movement was started at the
jubilee today to petition the state
legislature to amend the penal laws
to permit licensed physicians to give
patients contraceptive treatment in
public and private practice. A move
ment also was launched successfully
for finances with which to enlarge
the Fifth avenue clinic and estab-
lish others in the tenement districts
OF greater New York, for the birth
control within the limits prescribed
by Judge Crane in the state court of
appeals in 1918. when he upheld the
conviction of Mrs. Sanger for circu-
lating birth control literature.
Doctor Dorothy Booker. former di-
rector of physical education in sew
eral universities and active head Of
the Fifth avenue clinic, announced
she would undertake a national cam
paign to spread birth control educa-
ton among doctors. to supplement
q similar campaign already in pro-
gress among laymen. New York,
Boston, Cleveland. Minneapolis and
San Francisco are among the larger
cities where birth control leagues al
ready are organized.
Only married women have been
treated at the Fifth avenue clinic
during the eleven months of it's OPP
Grafton, said DR.. Booker. It's work
had proved SO beneficial to mothers
most of them already sick from
rearing children, too poor to proper
ly care for those they had. or threat
ened with death from further child
bearing-that charitable institutions,
hospitals, parishes, nurses organiza-
tons, and doctors, who at first kept
relations with the clinic secret in
fear of the police, had gradually
come openly to send patients there
DR.. Booker asserted her eleven
months had demonstrated that 6J
percent of tubercuar women die as
direct result of child birth: that half
of the present day mother deaths
and two thirds of the infant deaths
are due to conditions which only
birth control can change; that the
only way syphilitic parents could
cease passing the disease on to their
children was to let them practice
birth control until they could get rid
of the syphilis.
Seventy three percent Of the Fifth
avenue clinics patients needed to
practic birth control. said DIR. Book
er, because they were too poor to
have children, and too ill. and %
percent because they had been oper-
ated upon, needed operations or
showd bad family inheritance.
Without exception those who ap.
pealed for medical aid or ii.forma-
ton professed religion-:;3.5 per
cent of them protestant. 30 per cent
Catholic, 81 per cent Jewish. and 80
per cent all other denominations