Eager Eugenicists: A Reappraisal of the Birth Control Society of Hamilton

Abstract

This article examines the formative years (1931-1940) of Canada's first birth control clinic, the Birth Control Society of Hamilton (BCSH), and challenges the perception of the BCSH as a low-key and non-ideological endeavour. New historical evidence indicates that the BCSH shared in the eugenic ideology of other contemporary Canadian birth control organizations and was an active participant in the debates surrounding contraception and eugenics.