I know personally of many mothers who have had very dreadful times
of sickness all through the time, and others who have not been able
to have the necessary food to strengthen them--some through having
bad or careless husbands, others through shortness of work; and, I
am sorry to say, those who have felt they would not carry children,
some because of bad husbands, others because they felt they could not
properly feed and clothe those they had. There are three who lost
their lives, and another who has already had seven. These all took
some kind of drug, and of course did the work they wanted it to do.
The doctor felt sorry for this woman and could not blame her. She has
had difficulty in rearing these seven. When she was able to get out, I
saw her and talked seriously to her, but she said: “Mrs. ----, I will
not have any more by him, and I should not have cared if I had died.”
She loved her children, and has had months of sleepless nights with
each of the seven. It seems to me, had Government awakened to its duty
years ago, seeing to it that the mothers and children should have what
was necessary, mothers would not have minded having the children, had
they known each little one would be provided for. We should now have a
stronger and healthier race of men and women. One does not wonder at
the sickly boys and girls one meets in the streets, especially when one
knows under what circumstances they were born, and how and what their
mothers had to bear before they came.