The Birth Control News." Nine Pamphlets, 1932-1933

The Birth Control News was a monthly newsletter produced by Marie Stopes advocating for safe contraception for married women. Stopes was formally trained in the sciences earning a doctorate in paleobotany in 1904. In 1918, she founded the Society for Constructive Birth Control, and 1921, she opened the first clinic for birth control in Britain known as , "the Mothers' Clinic for Constructive Birth Control." Contraception became acceptable to the Church of England in 1930, for married couples only. Stopes supported eugenics, and like her American counterpart, Margaret Sanger, has been criticized for her perspective.


The first issue of the Birth Control News came out in 1922. The nine issues offered here are: March- September, 1932; November, December 1932; January and March 1933. The publisher was John Bale, Sons & Danielsson, Ltd. In a publication Bale wrote and published about the birth control movement in England, he noted that in 1930, Stopes edited and published, "The Birth Control News." on behalf of the Constructive Birth Control League. The pamphlets measure 7 1/4 x 9 3/4 inches, all with the same faded blue paper covers, stapled, varying chips to spine, in some cases pulling off the staple. Each pamphlet contains twenty pages on ten separate sheets. Overall condition of the nine covers is good, with a corner missing on the back cover of one issue. Our research found that 43 institutions have various copies of Stopes' monthly newsletter which rarely become available. Autograph