Document 42: Allison Pierce Moore, president of the ABCL, to Hannah Stone, 1 February 1936, 2 pp., Reel 41, Papers of Margaret Sanger, 1900-1966, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Document 42: Allison Pierce Moore, president of the ABCL, to Hannah Stone, 1 February 1936, 2 pp., Reel 41, Papers of Margaret Sanger, 1900-1966, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Introduction

   This letter, written by Allison Pierce Moore, a member of the American Birth Control League who had helped engineer the transfer of the Harlem Branch clinic to ABCL auspices (see Document 38 and Document 39), to Dr. Hannah Stone, medical director of the Clinical Research Bureau and member of the Harlem Branch Advisory Council, appears to have been written in response to an inquiry from Stone about the ABCL report of data on the new clinic. The letter provides a glimpse into the services of the new clinic and its relationship with the community. Moore reported that the ABCL clinic had a visiting nurse who could visit former Harlem Branch clients and potential new clients in their homes. The numbers Moore quoted indicate that the visiting nurse successfully recruited an average of forty-three patients to the ABCL clinic from the inactive files of the Harlem Branch clinic each month; a sharp contrast to the experience of Harlem Branch's social worker Emmy Jenkins, who in March 1933 made 128 visits but recruited only two patients (see Document 31). Perhaps news that all the clinic services were now free to those with few resources made the difference.[118]

   This letter helps us understand more about the basis of Mabel Staupers's frustration with the ABCL. Moore made it clear in this letter that the new clinic would have a local Harlem advisory council. She did not spell out the role of the new council, but it was clearly to be secondary to the existing Medical Advisory Board that supervised all the New York City Committee clinics.[119] Nor did she mention that the ABCL's New York City Committee had invited any of the medical practitioners from Harlem onto the existing Medical Board. Thus, the future role in the clinic for the African American medical professionals like Staupers seemed limited indeed.

[p. 1]

AMERICAN BIRTH CONTROL LEAGUE, INC.

515 Madison Avenue
New York City

February 1, 1936.

Dear Dr. Stone:

   Thank you very much for your letter of January 29 and I am glad to know that you felt our Annual Meeting was successful.

   The calculated figure for the number of new patients seen at contraceptive centers throughout the country was obtained from the annual report forms. These replies are now being analyzed and upon the completion of the analysis a tabulated report will be available.

   Since our conferences with you and Mrs. Sanger and our taking over the Harlem clinic seven months ago, a great deal of work has been accomplished. Because of the fact that the majority of the members of the New York City Committee were away at that time it was impossible to call a meeting and formulate a definite policy and program.

   The New York City Committee has now fully considered the Harlem clinic and has arrived at the following conclusions:

   1. That this center shall be one of the 12 mothers' health centers financed by the New York City Committee and conducted in precisely the same manner as all of the other centers. These centers are conducted exclusively for clinic-type (underprivileged) patients and are supervised by the Medical Advisory Board.

   2. That the Harlem clinic have a local council consisting of representative medical and lay members of the community.

   The local Harlem Council is now in process of organization and will assume an active part in extending the work through meetings, symposiums, lectures, publicity, social service work, etc. This autonomous group is having representation on the New City Committee.

   This decision of the New York City Committee obviates the necessity for a general advisory council.

   I am outlining what has been accomplished with regard to the center:

[p. 2]

1. A letter signed by both Mrs. Sanger and Mrs. Cromwell was sent to all patients whose names appeared in the files, clarifying the change in policy and the restriction of service to underprivileged patients only.

2. A large number of inactive cases were found in the files -- those of definitely underprivileged patients. A nurse has been making house visits to these inactive clients and contacts have been made with all the social agencies.

3. To date the clinic has had two sessions a week, which have been just enough to care for the indigent patients to whom service is now restricted. Because of the increase of new patients resulting from the community's recognition of the type of service rendered, another session may be added very soon.

4. In the first six months there have been 638 patients of whom 261 were recruited, through visits of the nurse, from the inactive file transferred to us. She also visited 302 cases who had moved and whose addresses were not known. There were 123 new cases.

5. Further statistics giving work relief and home relief figures will be ready soon.

   Knowing of the great interest which both you and Mrs. Sanger have in birth control work among colored patients, I shall be glad to send you from time to time the reports from the Harlem Council and our Medical Supervisor, Dr. Thomas J. Parks.

Very sincerely yours,
(SIGNED) Allison Pierce Moore

(Mrs. Louis DeB. Moore)

APM:C

Hannah Stone, M.D.
41 Fifth Avenue
New York City