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Marie Stopes –1880 to 1958- the Family Planning Pioneer
THE LIFE - HISTORY OF A REMARKABLE WOMEN
Marie Stopes was born in Edinburgh on 15th Oct' 1880. Marie Stopes was far from conventional. Not only she went to university, she got a double first, studied in Germany and gained a doctorate. She even went down coalmines to pursue her specialist subject – fossilised plants. |
As a young girl she said she would spend the first 20 years of her life in science, the second 20 in social projects, and the final 20 years writing poetry – and she did just that. She made her name through her writing , campaigning on family planning services and fought, almost single –handed , to bring women control over their fertility and to allow them to enjoy sex.Her work resulted in provision of the UK's first family planning clinics and foundations of services which are still in place today. She opened up discussion about sex and changed public opinion at a time when the Church, society and the medical establishment were opposed to birth control. But Marie Stopes might never have gotinvolved in family planning if she hadn't had a disastrous marriage to fellow scientist Reginald Ruggles Gates.
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Dr. Marie Stopes |
They had whirlwind romance, but the relationship was close to break –down within a year. Although she was highly intelligent, it only gradually become apparent to her that hr sex life was not quite right. After studying medical books in various languages in the British Librar she realised her opened without publicity on 17. The clinic she opened without publicity on 17 March 1921, offering a free service to married women. Its aim was two- fold: first to reach the poor and give them access to birth control, secondly to gather scientific data about contraception. At first the clinic attracted only three women a day , and many were scared to give their names, but it was a huge and significant steps in the face of mounting opposition to her writings and work. In 1925 the Mothers' Clinic with its growing clientele moved to its present site, 108 Whitfield Street, Central London, where the nurses continued their consultations, provided a mail order conception service, and gathered data. |
Marie had many opponents, including the medical profession and the Amglican Church, but the Catholic Church led the strongest attacks against her. But she hit back with even more pamphlets and speeches, loving every opportunity to promote her thoughts. In 1923 a Catholic doctor Halliday Sutherland libelled her in a book, “Birth Control”. Marie Stopes sued him , lost , won at appeal , then lost at the House of Lords, with the case generating huge amounts of publicity along the way. The final outcome didn't matter to her because more importantly, everyone in the UK had got know about family planning.
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Young Mariestopes |
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