And no, Comstock did not consider birth control an alternative to abortions (to many Christians of the time, preventing a life was the same as murdering one).

He did not associate birth control with half-dead mothers of twelve hungry babes whose drunk husbands kept impregnating them with yet another feeble life that would starve and wither.

To him, contraception made it possible for people to have sex without consequence. And by people, he mostly meant whores and the once-innocent young men they defiled, who in turn went out and defiled the whole world.

Much of Comstock’s writings defending his crusade are devoted to listing the crimes and vices committed by youth who he believed were inflamed to sin by obscene literature and dens of iniquity. This is the only reason he can think of for why young people turn to crime. You, with 150 years of social-scientific knowledge that Comstock did not have, may think to ask a question he did not: “What sort of homes did these youths come from?”

In the early twentieth century, Margaret Sanger asked and answered that question. Her answer came from years spent helping the poorest of the poor. The young offenders Comstock pointed to as victims of unmonitored lust most often came from crushing poverty, from homes where there were too many mouths to feed and parents too exhausted to care for the children they could not prevent themselves from having.

Sanger was indicted in 1914 for publishing birth-control pamphlets. Comstock died in 1915 with his law still on the books, and Sanger defeated in court. That balance did not hold long. A year after his death Sanger opened a clinic, part of a greater association she founded that became Planned Parenthood. Comstock might have won the birth-control battle. But he did not win the war.

When Women Make Decisions: Humanity’s Greatest Threat

Comstock and his supporters aside, Victorian people were not all that opposed to birth control. In fact, by the standards of some, such as Mr. Fowler (who had three children by three wives), they were entirely too much in favor of it, especially the women. Fowler laments the folly of those who desire small families.

“Most married pairs are stark mad against issue. Whoever can patent a means of enjoying fully without conceiving or injuring, could soon become the richest man in Christendom, so highly would men prize and pay for it, and women the most, purity and conscience to the contrary, and most married are insanely bent on small families.”

It is perhaps because of this—how truly desperately people wanted to limit their families—that many learned men in the medical community claimed that even if they knew a good way to prevent conception, they ought never, ever tell anyone seeking it. Especially women.

After one doctor writes The Medical World with his proprietary spermicide recipe, he ends his letter with this warning:

“But let me caution you never to write a prescription for this remedy. The knowledge of these remedies should not become public property, for few women would ever consent to endure the pangs of child birth if they were in possession of the knowledge of so simple and yet so effective a remedy.”

The editors insert a note below his contributions:

“We wish to emphasize the last paragraph of the above. The physician should not only be thoroughly convinced that it is extremely important from a medical point of view that his patient should not become pregnant, but he should consult his conscience long and seriously before allowing himself to take a hand in this kind of business, and when he does so, the patient should not know how or where to get the preparation except through him.”

Another doctor contributes to the same feature but declares his knowledge should be given freely to all who wish it. The Medical World responds thusly:

“to give out general information upon this subject is not to be thought of. How many men and women in your practice would shirk the duties of parenthood if they knew how, and thus miss the greatest joys of life? How many children would there be in your community if only those that are wanted would come? Far too many married people would procrastinate, saying ‘No, not yet,’ until the best time to procreate, or the ability to procreate had gone. Then would come a lonely old age after a desolate life. No, doctors, don’t have any hand in this business.”

What woman would choose motherhood if she could avoid it? I mean, women are certainly pleasant enough creatures when not under duress of any sort. But mentally, we can agree they’re nearly indistinguishable from large sexy children who can cook. Thus women have a childlike selfishness in their capricious natures. If the cost of not having to endure bloating or back labor meant ending the human race, the average woman wouldn’t think twice. Good-bye, propagation of the species, I’m keeping my twenty-eight-inch waist!

“Ladies, to Evil!”

It is also possible that this publication made a point of condemning public access to birth control for the sake of legality. The Comstock Law was still in effect when this magazine was printed, though apparently with waning strictness. Insinuating that women would not be satisfied until they’d finished the destruction begun by Eve in the Garden of Eden might, I hope, have been mostly for show.

Cursing and Swearing Is Too Tame for You Drones!

Of course some people did believe birth control to be one of the highest forms of selfishness and evil. Some people were authentic in their desires to populate. Some people had even done the math. Well, one person, and some math. That person is, of course, Mr. Fowler, in one of his finest rants.

Till our world is full all should help fill it with the best they can; nor any refuse because they cannot have the very best; for poor life is as much better than none as all the happiness it can experience and impart through time and eternity.

Our earth contains over 30,000,000 square miles of good arable land, with 640 acres each—about 20,000,000,000—each acre capable of clothing, housing and feeding five persons, aided by the oceans. Figure up that long string of mortals each enjoying more than tongue can tell, and all forever marching into infinitely ecstatic and everlasting bliss!

What a burning shame that God’s sun, air, earth, fruits, grains, and all other provisions for human enjoyments should go to waste solely because you drones are too lazy to marry or stingy to reproduce, though charring with lust! Cursing and swearing at you seems too tame. How far wrong is [it to say] that not producing is as bad as murdering that number? For who but rather exist forever yet be murdered here than not to be?”

I have no answer for his question. Partially because I… don’t understand the question. One of many reasons, no doubt, the decision to reproduce should not be laid in my fumbling, feminine hands.