Tag: Comstock Laws
Comstock Laws
In 1873, the U.S. Congress passed what became known as the “Comstock” laws. The act made it illegal to import, mail, or transport in interstate commerce obscene materials, including contraceptive devices and information on birth control. The act was named after Anthony Comstock, a Union Army veteran of the American Civil War. He also assisted [...]
Byrne, Ethel
Ethel Byrne, along with her sister Margaret Sanger, founded the first birth control clinic in the United States in 1916. Ethel and Margaret grew up in Corning, New York. Their mother, Anne, suffered from tuberculosis. Contraception, in addition to being illegal, was unheard of in the girls’ devout Catholic neighborhood. Anne became pregnant eighteen times [...]