{"id":842,"date":"2025-04-24T15:09:49","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T19:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.histoiresdecheznous.ca\/v3\/dr-marion-powell-canada-birth-control_regulation-des-naissances\/?post_type=csat-story-chapter&p=842"},"modified":"2025-06-09T16:30:02","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T20:30:02","slug":"1960s-canadas-first-municipally-funded-birth-control-clinic","status":"publish","type":"csat-story-chapter","link":"https:\/\/www.histoiresdecheznous.ca\/v3\/dr-marion-powell-canada-birth-control_regulation-des-naissances\/en\/story\/1960s-canadas-first-municipally-funded-birth-control-clinic\/","title":{"rendered":"1960s – Canada\u2019s First Municipally Funded Birth Control Clinic"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
\r\t\t\t\t
\r\t\t\t
\r\t\t\t\t\n
\n

The police chief said to me \u2018<\/em>a<\/em>s long as you don\u2019t provide contraception for a single woman, you are alright. But the minute you provide contraception for a single woman, you\u2019re in trouble\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\r\r\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

― Dr. Marion Powell on the \u201crules\u201d of operating Canada\u2019s first municipally funded birth control clinic<\/cite>\r\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\r\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\r\r\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\n\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tD\u00e9tails de l’image — <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Yellowed\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\u00ab\u00a0Meet Scarboro’s new Medical Officer of Health\u00a0\u00bb, May 19, 1971.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n
\t
\n\t\t\n
\n
\n

<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When the Powell family returned to Canada in 1960, Dr. Marion Powell enrolled in the University of Toronto. Her work in the community had ignited a new passion. She graduated with a diploma in public health in 1962.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That same year, Peel County hired Dr. Powell as its first female Medical Officer of Health. Two years later she became Associate Medical Officer of Health in Scarborough (a borough of Toronto).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scarborough\u2019s Board of Health wanted to offer family planning services. Dr. Powell was asked to investigate. In early 1966, the Board approved her plan to establish a family planning clinic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\t

\n\t\t\n
\t
\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVoir la vid\u00e9o — Dr. Marion Powell talks about the changing attitudes towards birth control <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Black\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Listen to Dr. Marion Powell talk about Canadian society’s stigma towards birth control and where it could be distributed.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n
\t
\n\t\t\n
\t
\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tD\u00e9tails de l’image — <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Spiral-bound\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
This was a teaching aid used by Dr. Marion Powell in her role as Associate Medical Officer of Health in Scarborough.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\t
\n\t\t\n
\n
\n

<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The clinic was to open in one church, but its congregation opposed it. Instead, Dr. Powell quickly arranged for it to be housed in the basement of the Scarborough Junction United Church. Public attitudes about birth control were changing. Yet some Canadians still opposed its use on moral or religious grounds.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 2, 1966, Canada\u2019s first municipally funded birth control clinic opened. Dr. Powell was its medical director. As one newspaper reported: \u201cScarboro\u2019s first and illegal birth control clinic opened quietly and without incident\u201d. On its first day, it saw five women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\t

\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n
\t
\n\t\t\n
\n
\n

<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The clinic initially provided birth control information to married women. It encouraged women to \u00ab\u00a0go home and discuss the matter with their husbands before seeing a doctor\u201d. By the end of its first year, the clinic saw 181 clients. Soon it moved to a larger facility to keep up with the public demand. Evening hours were also added to make it more convenient for mothers and working women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Scarborough Birth Control Clinic provided women with access to information and counseling. Women could now make their own decisions about birth control.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\t

\n\t\t\n
\t
\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVoir la vid\u00e9o — Dr. Marion Powell talks about birth control and the Criminal Code in Canada <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Black\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Listen to Dr. Marion Powell talk about the introduction of the Pill and its legal implications in Canada.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tD\u00e9tails de l’image — <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\"A\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
Annual Report of the Scarborough Family Planning Clinic, 1972.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":2659,"template":"","class_list":["post-842","csat-story-chapter","type-csat-story-chapter","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"lang":"en","translations":{"en":842,"fr":3320},"pll_sync_post":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.histoiresdecheznous.ca\/v3\/dr-marion-powell-canada-birth-control_regulation-des-naissances\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/csat-story-chapter\/842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.histoiresdecheznous.ca\/v3\/dr-marion-powell-canada-birth-control_regulation-des-naissances\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/csat-story-chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.histoiresdecheznous.ca\/v3\/dr-marion-powell-canada-birth-control_regulation-des-naissances\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/csat-story-chapter"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.histoiresdecheznous.ca\/v3\/dr-marion-powell-canada-birth-control_regulation-des-naissances\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/csat-story-chapter\/842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3100,"href":"https:\/\/www.histoiresdecheznous.ca\/v3\/dr-marion-powell-canada-birth-control_regulation-des-naissances\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/csat-story-chapter\/842\/revisions\/3100"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.histoiresdecheznous.ca\/v3\/dr-marion-powell-canada-birth-control_regulation-des-naissances\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.histoiresdecheznous.ca\/v3\/dr-marion-powell-canada-birth-control_regulation-des-naissances\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}