Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-21
CONTROL OF BIRTH
DECLARED MORAL
Federal Council of Churches
Group Sees Economic Need
for Family Limitation.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, March 2l.-Birth con-
troll through careful and restrained use
of contraceptives by married people" is
approved by the Federal Council of the
Churches of Christ.
Representing approximately 22,000,-
600 members of q Protestant denomi-
nations in America, a majority of the
Committee on Marriage and the Home
published today a report saying such
practice is valid and moral"
The report, approved by the Admin
istrative. Committee, was signed by % OF
the % members of the subcommittee.
Three diSSented in some respects and
three voiced no opinion.
Those approving included Mrs. John
d. Rockefeller, jr., q member OF the
National Board of the Young Women's
Christian Association: George W. Wick
Crsham, chairman of the Comm ION
on Law Enforcement. and Mrs. John
Ferguson. president of the NatlonaI
Council of Federated Churchwomen.
Three Take Exceptions.
Those taking some exceptions were
Rev Dr. Howard Chandler Robbins,
chairman of the committee; Mrs. Rob-
ert E. Speer. president of the National
Board of the Y. w. G. A. and Mrs.
OTTlH II. JuOu, PICSIuCili VI liiC SouilNA
OF Women for Home Missions.
Those remaining neutral were Right
Few. Charles X Gilbert. suffragan
bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Do
cese of New York; Rev. DR.. Ben r. Lacy,
president of the Union Theological
Seminary at Richmond, Va, and Mrs.
w. A. Newell Of Greensboro, N. c.
The committee unanimously agreed
cas- to the necessity" therefore, for
- ~ he
size Of the family and spacing of chill
dren, and consequently Of control OF
conception. 1t is recognized by ali
churches and all physicians"
Cite Reasons for Control.
The causes of such necessity were
listed as too frequent and too numer-
Gus pregnancies," economic consider
alton" in poor families and ''the prob
lens of overpopulation."
The committee was also in unanimous
agreement that sex union between
husbands and wives as an expression of
mutual affection, without relation to
procreation, is right. This is recognized
by the Scriptures, by all branches of
the church, by social and medical
science and by the good sense and
idealism of mankind"
On the method of attaining these
ululSs 1lOMENCI, IllE EAOuP 0Ao-
sented in the following words:
I'm view of the widespread doubt
among Christian people of the morality
OF the use of contraceptives, and the
scruples experienced by many In max
ing use of them, 1t appears to these
members Of the committee to be the plain
duty Of the Christian church, when con-
troll of conception is necessary, to up
hold the standards of abstinence as the
ideal. recognizing 1t as a counsel of per-
lection, and that Christian morals are
much more exalted than is generally
supposed
Bishop Dunn Disagrees.
The report was. criticized in state
ments by the Right Rev. John !. Dunn,
Roman Catholic, vicar general and
bishop auxiliary Of New York, and by
DR.. Frederick H. Knubel, president of
the United Lutheran Church in
America. The Roman Catholic Church
is not afflliated with the Federal Coun-
Gil Of Churches and the lutheran
Church has only consultative" men,
bership.
Bishop Dunn cited the Pope's recent
encyclical on marriage:
Since the conjugal act is destined
primarily by nature for the begetting of
children. those who in exercising it de-
libsrately Illustrate its natural power
and purpose sin against nature and
commit a deed which is shameful and
intrfnsically vicious"