Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-11
URGES NATIONALITY
CHOICE FOR WOMEN
Dr.. Healy Stresses Need for
Individual Selection of
Homeland.

Discussing the status of married
women under laws defining nationality.
in an address before the Womens Club
Of Bethesda, Md, yesterday afternoon,
DR.. Thomas II. Healy. assistant dean
Of the Georgetown University School
of Foreign Service. advocated the right
of individual choice Of nationality in
international marriages.
While admitting it is desirable to have
| only one nationality in given family.
DR.. Healy declared that II it becomes
necessary for the members Of the family
| to make q choice, the woman's right
| of choice should be equal to that of the
husband. DR.. Healy urged the liberali-
2ation Of naturalization statutes in all
countries so that husband and wife
may adopt the nationality Of the other
II he or she desires, without undue
delay or trouble
1T is believed that the present law
OF the United States Is substantially in
accordance with the trend of modern
times toward the legal emancipation Of
women" DR.. Healy said. while It is
dangerous to predict, it Is our impress
sion that in the near future, more
countries will adopt laws so that there
will not be any discrimination against
the nationality of women, and hence,
| that marriage will have no effect
toward, changing nationalities of
women"
Important Subject.
| DR.. Healy declared that the question
OF nationality Is the most important
topic slated for consideration at the
| nrst conference on the Codificatior of
international Law at The Hague next
March. AS associate professor of inter-
national law at Georgetown, DR.. Healy
lectured on this subject at The Hague
Ia
slVe study OF the status of married
women under the laws of various
| nations.
Having married a French woman.
himself, DR.. Healy perhaps takes q
broader view Of the subject than the
average man in considering the advisaA
bility Of individual choice Of nationality.
The average husband finds it very
logical that If he married a foreign
woman and she comes to live in this
country she would automatically be-
come citizen of his country" he
SAID. However, 1t is believed that few.
men would accept the reverse of this
proposition and consider it logical that
Il man marries foreign woman and
nves In her country he should auto
matically be compelled to take her
nationality. AS the proverb has IL.
! gander'
Shouldn't Compel Either.
my recommendation in this whole
matter he said, would be that mar
riage should not have the effect of COM
pell1ng either the man or the woman to
TAKE the nationality Of the other person
unless they wished to do so. In mixed
International marriages, the man and
the woman should each retain their ma
Lionality, but liberal provisions should
De maze IN the naturalization statutes
OF the inherent countries, so that n
either the man or the woman wanted tn
cnange tc the nationality of the other.
Ghls could be done without undue delav
or trouble" ~"'
The question is one Of peculiar sig
nlncance to the United States, DR.. Healy
declared, In view Of the great alien
population in this country with the re.
suIllng frequent marriages between alien
men ana American women on the one
rso,sa,, ana a american men and alien
| viewed from different angle. DIR.
HeaIy declared that the inpnensitv of
american trade and investments in for
elen countries makes 1t necessary for
an increasing number of Americans to
I'VE abroad to take care of American
interests. Because of this" he said.
st is inevitable that there viii he =
continued increase in the number of
international marriages entered into bv
Americans, whether they be men or
women
Some Discrimination Left.
While the Gable act enacted by Con-
greSs to define the status of women
under such marriages goes far toward
satisfying the demands of women for
equal rights, DR.. Healy pointed out.
there still seems to be considerable dis
elimination in it.
For example, he said, there is the
presumption of loss of citizenship
against a woman who resides abroad
for certain lengths of time, whereas
| this does not apply against men. Again,
an American man can marry a foreign
woman such as a Chinese or Hindu,
who Is ineligible to American citizen
ship, without losing his own citizenship.
The cases being reversed, however, the
American woman would lose her Ameri-
can citizenship"
The meeting yesterday was the reg
ular monthly meeting of the Womens
Club and Mrs Gilbert Grosvenor, presi-
dent, persided The committee in
charge of arrangements consisted of
Mrs. Everett wallace, chairman; Mrs.
Charles I. Corby, Mrs. BENJAMIN T.
Gilmore, Mrs. @. w. Imrie, Mrs. Fred
erick A. Parkhurst. Miss E. B. Morris,
Mrs. j. B. Bennett, Mrs. Henry H.
Classic, Mrs. H. L. Lewis, Mrs. c. F.
Z AoaM To-