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DocsTeachThe online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives National Archives Foundation National Archives

Letter from Jonah Goldstein to the Children's Bureau

3/24/1917 - 3/26/1917

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Jonah Goldstein sent this letter regarding the arrest of Margaret Sanger, for disseminating information about birth control, to Miss Anne Rochester (Anna Rochester) at the Children's Bureau. He asks if the Bureau has statistics regarding large families among poor people to help him defend Sanger, or if there is information about the prevalency of abortion. Included is the reply from the Children's Bureau stating that they have not compiled such statistics, but suggesting other resources.

Margaret Sanger, a nurse, coined the term “birth control” and dedicated herself to educating women. Her own mother had 18 pregnancies in 22 years and died from ovarian cancer. Sanger began publishing "The Woman Rebel" newsletter in 1914. She was arrested repeatedly for violating the 1873 Comstock Act, which made it a Federal offense to send contraceptive devices or information about birth control in the mail.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Children's Bureau.
National Archives Identifier: 7455631
Full Citation: Letter from Jonah Goldstein to Miss Anne Rochester, Children's Bureau and Reply; 3/24/1917 - 3/26/1917; 4-0-5 Fecundity; Central Files, 1912 - 1969; Records of the Children's Bureau, Record Group 102; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/goldstein-childrens-bureau, March 27, 2023]
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