I went into medicine and saw how many women were still being treated with no access to birth control and little knowledge of sex education. Somebody had to be an advocate for these women.
While studying at the University of Toronto, Marion met Donald Powell at Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. He was a theological student. After they married in 1948, he was sent to Timmins, Ontario, to become the minister of MacKay Presbyterian Church. Dr. Powell, now a medical doctor, joined her husband and began her own private practice. She was the only female doctor in the small mining town.
It was here where Dr. Powell realized how limited sex education could negatively impact a community. As a family doctor, she saw very young women who already had multiple unplanned pregnancies. She also saw how unfairly young unmarried mothers were treated by the community.
Looking for a way to help educate young people on sexual and reproductive health, Dr. Powell began giving talks at local youth clubs. While some in the community might have been concerned about a woman talking in public about sex, the fact that Dr. Powell was a family doctor and a minister’s wife put people’s minds at ease.
The Powells stayed in Timmins for three years. In 1951, the Church announced that Reverend Powell was to be sent to Japan as a missionary. Dr. Powell accompanied him and continued her medical career there. They remained in Japan from 1952 to 1960 and then returned to Canada.
