Catholic Medical Quarterly Volume 74(4) Nov 2024

Marie Stopes, and the Catholic defence against eugenics and forced sterilization of the poor

One of the wonderful things about editing this journal is that you learn things you never dreamt of before. In this issue, we are delighted to publish the story of Dr Halliday Sutherland, a Catholic physician who saw, at the outset, what Marie Stopes was doing. Both then and now his work was presented as “Catholics against Contraceptives”. In this issue, a grandson of Dr Halliday Sutherland – defendant in Stopes v Sutherland 1923 – sets out that the Church opposed a broad agenda that included eugenic breeding and the compulsory sterilisation of the poor.

Dr SutherlandDr Sutherland ‘s defence of those under trodden and despised groups did not go well for him. He was sued by Marie Stopes in 1922, alleging defamation in his book Birth Control. Sutherland had insufficient money and so he faced financial ruin. He did have invaluable moral support though; when Cardinal Bourne (then Archbishop of Westminster) heard of the case, he promised Sutherland that he would “stand by him to the end”.

The case was reported in the Catholic Medical Guardian (now the Catholic Medical Quarterly) at the time. In 1923 we hear that with regard to the “Birth Control Judgement” The Birth Control Libel Case.-The judgment on appeal of Dr. M. Stopes, D.Sc., from the decision of the Lord Chief Justice in favour of Dr. Halliday Sutherland, M.D., and Messrs. Harding and More, publishers of his book, "Birth Control," was announced on 20th July. Lord Justices Bankes and Scrutton allowed the appeal with half costs and £100 for the plaintiff, and set aside the previous judgment. Lord Justice Younger delivered a dissenting judgment. [1]

Stopes v Sutherland was heard in the High Court in 1923.

In the January 1924 edition of the CMG this is described as a ‘pernicious artificial birth-control business’… ‘One would be led to imagine that the salvation of society was the sole object and aim of it, instead of it really being the destruction of the family and the nation. Since the result of the libel action appeal, observation shows that certain objectionable shops have become bolder in their display of contraceptives, and, of course, books on the subject are multiplying and selling everywhere. Dr. Stopes loses no opportunity to advertise.’[2]

The CMG continues to tell us that “The Ostriches” is being nightly staged at a London theatre, while sandwich-men stroll the streets displaying posters thereon. Prior to this, she devised a film-play entitled from her book "Married Love." Even dinners are employed to carry on this new evangel ........  The Daily
Telegraph reported that Dr. Stopes said “At every turn, wherever I go, there stands the black figure of the priest against me. It is said 'Why cannot you let the Catholics alone and my reply is that I cannot, because they will not leave me alone. In every piece of work I try to do, I find myself opposed by the efforts of the Catholics.[2] Indeed Marie Stopes stated that “I am out to smash up organised Christianity on this subject”.[3]

The cost of the case was high (Dr Sutherland had to pay £10000) but at its conclusion, we are told that ‘He won, under God, a great victory for England’. [4]

But there is very serious point herein. Dr Halliday saw the devastating effects of what Marie Stopes was doing. And he also saw the extreme eugenics that was wanted by both Marie Stopes and senior members of the BMA. The article on page 14 of this issue sets that out very well. But even in this journal, the reporting of the libel case brought by Marie Stopes focussed upon birth control and the horrors of eugenics were almost entirely lost in this journal. Nowadays abortion and contraception are presented as “Reproductive Rights”. But so much suffering and family breakdown etc that flows from those “rights” is not seen as linked to contraception. In the 1920’s the eugenic cries of those who supported Marie Stopes were strident indeed. And eugenic arguments fuelled the horrors of Naziism. Dr Sutherland saw clearly the harms the we would see now in our broken society. Today we must learn from Dr Halliday and point out the grievous harms done by contraception and abortion.

References

  1. Catholic Medical Guardian 1923 ( July), Vol 1 (3) p 58
  2. Anticontraception propaganda. Catholic Medical Guardian 1924 ( July), Vol 2 (5) p 2
  3. Dr. Marie Stopes on Christian “Asceticism”. - Catholic Medical Guardian 1925 (April), Vol 3 (2) p 45
  4. The Sutherland-Wareing Case. Catholic Medical Guardian 1925 (April), Vol 3 (2) pp 44-5