Historical note:

            The Rhode Island Birth Control League was founded in 1931. Its clinic at 163 North Main Street in Providence was the first birth control center in New England, and initially limited its activity to the dissemination of contraceptive information to married women. The name was changed to the Rhode Island Maternal Health Association in 1939, and the clinic was moved to larger quarters at 433 Westminster Street in 1946. By 1948, the clinic also provided infertility treatment, gynecological examinations, and counseling for parenthood. The name was changed again to Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island in 1964, to reflect affiliation with the national organization. It moved again in 1965, to 46 Aborn Street. A branch clinic was opened in Wakefield, R.I. in 1967. The organization also began performing abortions in 1975. The clinic is presently located at 111 Point Street.

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Scope and content:

            This collection consists mostly of scrapbooks and chronological files. The scrapbooks contain mostly newspaper clippings from the 1930s and 1940s. The chronological files are complete from 1931 to 1976, and include minutes of the meetings of the board of directors and various committees; reports from physicians, social workers, directors and treasurers; promotional materials; lectures; lists of board members; correspondence; and a variety of other material. These files have been kept in largely the same order that they were donated in.

            Other records include copies of the by-laws; tax records; newsletters; and legal correspondence with the firm of Edwards & Angell, which apparently provided pro-bono counsel for many years. There are also copies of several historical pieces on Margaret Sanger, who is considered the pioneer of the American birth control movement. A folder of legislative correspondence from the 1930s includes several signed letters from Sanger.

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Provenance:

            These records were donated by Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island in 1998.

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Processing note:

            These records have not been extensively reorganized, and could benefit from further work. Ideally, the papers in the chronological files should be sorted out into series of correspondence, minutes and reports, and the many duplicate copies should be discarded. Staples and paper clips need to be removed.

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Inventory:

Series 1: Chronological files.

Box 1, folder 1. 1931

Box 1, folder 2. 1932

Box 1, folder 3. 1933

Box 1, folder 4. 1934

Box 1, folder 5. 1935

Box 1, folder 6. 1936

Box 1, folder 7. 1937

Box 1, folder 8. 1938

Box 1, folder 9. 1939

Box 1, folder 10. 1940

Box 1, folder 11. 1941

Box 1, folder 12. 1942

Box 1, folder 13. 1943

Box 1, folder 14. 1944

Box 1, folder 15. 1945

Box 1, folder 16. 1946

Box 1, folder 17. 1947

Box 1, folder 18. 1948

Box 1, folder 19. 1949

Box 1, folder 20. 1950

Box 1, folder 21. 1951

Box 1, folder 22. 1952

Box 1, folder 23. 1953

Box 1, folder 24. 1954

Box 1, folder 25. 1955

Box 1, folder 26. 1956

Box 1, folder 27. 1957

Box 2, folder 1. 1958

Box 2, folder 2. 1959

Box 2, folder 3. 1960

Box 2, folder 4. 1961

Box 2, folder 5. 1962

Box 2, folder 6. 1963

Box 2, folder 7. 1964

Box 2, folder 8. 1965

Box 2, folder 9. 1966

Box 2, folder 10. 1967

Box 2, folder 11. 1968

Box 2, folder 12. 1969

Box 2, folder 13. 1970

Box 2, folder 14. 1971

Box 2, folder 15. 1972

Box 2, folder 16. 1973

Box 2, folder 17. 1974

Box 2, folder 18. 1975

Box 2, folder 19. 1976

Box 2, folder 20. 1979

Box 2, folder 21. 1986 (single letter)

Series 2: Scrapbooks

In box 3:

"Original notebook of the RIBCL", clippings, 1931-1936 (green cover)

Clippings re medical and religious topics, 1931-1953 (green cover)

Clippings re social, educational and economic topics, 1931-1952 (green cover)

Clippings, 1935-1947 (black cover)

Reports and publicity material, 1934-1952 (coverless ring binder)

"Newspaper clippings: Contraception, Abortion, Womanhood", 1978 (brown cover)

In box 4 (oversized):

Clippings, 1947-1948 (black soft cover)

Clippings, 1948-1949 (blue-gray cover)

Clippings, 1981 (black hard cover)

Series 3: Miscellaneous

Box 5, folder 1. Articles of association, 1931 (various copies)

Box 5, folder 2. By-laws and revisions, 1931-1950

Box 5, folder 3. Newport Maternal Health Center reports, 1935-1943

Box 5, folder 4. Legislative correspondence, 1932-1934 (includes Sanger letters)

Box 5, folder 5. Margaret Sanger information

Box 5, folder 6. "Portrait of a Rebel: Margaret Sanger", screenplay by Blanche Hallis, 1979

Box 5, folder 7. Lists of officers, 1951-1960

Box 5, folder 8. Leases, 1946, 1950

Box 5, folder 9. Tax returns, 1942, 1948-1960

Box 5, folder 10. Payroll tax records, 1951-1952, 1958-1961

Box 5, folder 11. Treasurer's reports, 1939-1959

Box 5, folder 12. Newsletters, 1962-1977

Box 5, folder 13. History, ca.1946

Box 5, folder 14. Manual for board members, 1948

Box 5, folder 15. Brochures, 1934-1950s

Box 5, folder 16. Newspaper clippings, 1934-1940

Box 5, folder 17. Copies of undated newspaper clippings, 1930s

Box 5, folder 18. Copies of clippings mounted for 1994 display, 1933-1947

Box 5, folder 19. Planned Parenthood Federation of America manual for branches, 1945

Box 5, folder 20. Miscellaneous non-Rhode Island printed material, 1934-1945

Box 6, folder 1. Memoranda re legal issues, 1934-1954

Box 6, folder 2. Research on legality of birth control, 1937-1958

Box 6, folder 3. Tax exemption papers, 1936-1949

Box 6, folder 4. Legal correspondence, Edwards & Angell, 1937-1950

Box 6, folder 5. Legal correspondence, William H. Edwards, 1937-1949

Box 6, folder 6. Legal correspondence, Edwards & Angell, 1950-1962

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Subjects:

Abortion services - Rhode Island - Providence

Birth control clinics - Rhode Island - Providence

Newport Maternal Health Center

Providence, R.I. - Social conditions

Rhode Island Birth Control League

Rhode Island Maternal Health Association

Sanger, Margaret (1883-)

Social service - Rhode Island - Providence

Women's health services - Rhode Island - Providence

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RIHS1822