dies and refrain from having more children if they so wish. They were arrested for publishing obscene libel. In their defence they said that we think it is more moral to prevent conception of children than, after they are born, to murder them by want of food, air and clothing. After this many other books were published advocating birth control, this angered many people especially Roman Catholics who believed that contraception was totally wrong because it was interfering with the sanctity of children. This did not stop Marie Stopes from founding the Society for Constructive Birth Control and opening the first birth control clinic in 1921. Also women didnt have the right to refuse their husbands sexual intercourse. Both in America and Britain feminists campaigned for a change in the law, which acknowledged marital rape. In America Margaret Sanger and Emma Goldman were the first to openly advocate both the right to refuse a husband sexual intercourse and contraception. Like Besant and Bradlaugh in Britain criminal charges were brought against them. The charges were dropped when public opinion swayed in their favour. Sanger went on to found the American Birth Control League in 1921. The league later overturned the Comstock Law (1873) in 1938 that forbade any publication of information related to birth control.Feminists in both Britain and America campaigned for the right to have an abortion. Even though abortions were outlawed in both countries, they still happened in unsanitary conditions, which also put the life of the woman at risk also. Both governments recognised this fact but because of popular opinion on the subject of abortion no law was changed for some time. In America it was decided that state could not restrict abortion until the foetus was viable, this was not considered wholly satisfactory but as time went on public opinion changed and abortions were made legal in both countries. The campaign for the vote was to...
