Birth Control

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 30, 5 February 1935, Page 10

Birth Control

SUPPORT BY LORD HORDER A carefully reasoned pica for the furtherance of birth control rvas made recently by Lord Horder, the Physician in Ordinary to the Prince of Wales. He was speaking at Claridge’s Hotel at a dinner held to raise funds for the National Birth Control Association, of which he is the president, and it was later announced that exactly £IOOO had. been subscribed, says the Daily Telegraph. _ _ After discussing in detail the reasons why he considered the more general practice of birth control in this country to bo desirable, Lord Horder said: “Indeed, in whatever direction I look amongst the various schemes for human betterment—those activities designed to improve health and increase happiness —I cannot escape the conviction that in the spacing of childbirths, in increasing the sense of responsibility with regard to parenthood, in the elimination of the unwanted child, there lies not only the easiest but the most effective contribution to preventive medicine and to social betterment.” Was the subject of birth control still

controversial 1 ? Lord Horder asked at the beginning of liis speech. Ho supposed there were some subjects which remained controversial “to the end.” There were people who still believed tiho world was flat. Maternal Mortality. "When maternal mortality was discussed it was all very well to censure the doctor or tho nurse. “Surely the question of the fitness of the mothei to bear her child is a very important factor,” said Lord Horder. “I think myself it is tho most important factor in this question of maternal mortality.” Ho was interested in the voluntary sterilisation of the unfit. They would get that in time, no doubt. But what would they have achieved? Tho unfit were only a few thousand in number. Better birth control among tho millions of the normal population would have immensely valuable results. . The association had three main activities, research, the most important of them, the provision of birth control clinics, and educational activities.,. The Countess of Limerick said that birth control was no longer regarded as a sort of indecent but had passed into the sphere of preventive medicine. It was to be hoped that birth control clinics would soon be recognised by tho State. Birth control did not mean tho prevention, but the proper spacing, of births. It stood for wise parenthood. Sir Patrick Hastings, K.C., urged that every doctor and every hospital ought to study and advocate tho subject.