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Marie Stopes: The Eugenics Agenda Ignored by the BBC
Introduction The BBC’s historical profile of Marie Stopes is one of the highest-ranking articles when people search for information about her life and work. Because the BBC is widely trusted, readers assume that its summary offers a complete and balanced picture. However, the BBC page, which was originally published years ago and is now “archived”,…
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Why Halliday Sutherland Opposed Eugenics (Long Before His Conversion)
Dr Halliday Sutherland is often described in modern summaries as opposing Marie Stopes because of her advocacy for contraceptives and his Catholic beliefs. This explanation is simple, convenient and historically incorrect. The documentary record shows that Sutherland’s opposition to Stopes arose from his opposition to eugenics, that his opposition to eugenics arose directly from his…
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What the ‘Tenets of the CBC’ actually said
The “Tenets of the C.B.C.” (or to give them their full name, the ‘Tenets of the Society for Constructive Birth Control and Racial Progress’) is one of the most important—and often overlooked—documents in the history of reproductive politics in Britain. Written by Marie Stopes in 1921, it set out the guiding principles for the Mothers’…
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Old Winchester Hill
An ancient fort reminds us of what the Malthusians have forgotten Last week, I walked part of the South Downs Way. Prior to setting out, I looked at the Ordnance Survey map and was pleased to note the frequent “tumulus” and “tumuli” symbols along the route. I would be walking through an ancient and pleasant…
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William Ramsey Investigates podcast
I was honoured to be William Ramsey’s guest on his William Ramsey Investigates podcast. We spoke about Exterminating Poverty. Exterminating Poverty book Here is a link to the book, summarised in under three minutes. Birth Control: A Statement of Christian Doctrine Against the Neo-Malthusians (1922) You can read and download a scan of Birth Control here. The…
