PROTECTION OF MATERNITY. 
15 
Association, has also indorsed it, and doubtless will do so again at 
their convention this next week. 
This bill, Mr. Chairman, is a measure of the greatest interest to 
the women of the country because they feel that it is intended to con 
serve human life at the source. That is the reason why the organ 
izations of women feel that this measure is one of the most important 
before the Congress. They feel that it is a matter upon which 
women have a special experience and knowledge, and that women 
know the needs better than men, therefore many organizations of 
women have made it the foremost of their requests of Congress. 
The previous speaker said that it was not included in the party 
platform of the Republican convention. That may be so, but the 
President of the United States mentioned three times in his Social 
Justice Day speech at Marion, Ohio, the importance of giving pro 
tection to maternity and infancy, and he specifically spoke of the 
extension of the work in the Children's Bureau in one of the three 
places, and specifically mentioned the Children’s Bureau as the 
administrative body for such protection of women and children. 
The Chairman. And he also mentioned it in his address to Con 
gress, did he not ? 
Mrs. Park. He also mentioned it in his address to Congress, and 
when I went with a deputation last Monday we found that he was 
still keenly interested in the prompt enactment of the measure. 
Now, Mr. Chairman, with regard to the matter of birth control, 
nothing further from the purpose of this bill could possibly be imag 
ined. For one thing, let me state, that this bill has received the 
indorsement of the National Catholic Welfare Council, which, of 
course, is one of the organizations opposed to anything that savors 
of birth control. This bill tends to make the bearing of children 
safer, and it tends to protect the life of the child when it is born. 
It tends to protect and promote healthful living. With regard to the 
organizations back of this bill being connected with the birth con 
trol movement, I do not remember in the last Congress that Miss 
Todd was ever here. I was chairman of the Women’s Joint Com 
mittee at that time, and I knew all of the women that were working 
together for this measure, and Miss Todd was not among them. Let 
me say further, in regard to birth control, that the National League 
of Women Voters had a birth control resolution presented to it at 
Cleveland, at the convention which indorsed this measure, and the 
league voted against considering the birth-control resolution. An 
attempt was made to bring it up before the Congress of the Daughters 
of the American Revolution, but it was not brought up. So that 
these organizations, Mr. Chairman, which have indorsed this present 
measure, have refused to indorse a resolution relative to birth-control. 
Now, as to the case of propaganda being carried on in schools in 
New York City, of course, I can not answer that. I do not know 
whether any person ever put up any poster on birth control in a New 
York school, but I can not see that that has anything to do with 
this bill. 
Mr. Chairman, Miss Lathrop, as I understand it, is going to give 
the figures with regard to the loss of lives of mothers and infants and 
when you realize the actual loss of life by causes which are largely 
preventable, then you will realize why this measure is of such funda 
mental importance to women.