Marie Stopes dropped from leading abortion provider’s name over eugenics views

Beliefs are ‘in stark contrast’ to what charity stands for, chief executive says

Dr Marie Charlotte Carmichael Stopes, a pioneer advocate of birth control, was a member of the Eugenics Society (Getty Images)

A leading abortion provider has changed its name over Marie Stopes’ views on eugenics.

Marie Stopes International has distanced itself from the key figure in the history of family planning to become MSI Reproductive Choices.

The charity said her legacy has become “deeply entangled” with her views on eugenics, and the name change signalled it did not “adhere nor condone” these beliefs. 

Stopes — who set up the first British birth control clinic in the 1920s  in the face of medical and religious opposition – was a member of the Eugenics Society and advocated for the sterilisation of people considered unfit for parenthood.

MSI Reproductive Choices said these views were “not uncommon at that time” but "are now rightly discredited". 

Stopes also opposed abortion — which remained illegal until 1967.

In the 1970, the founders of MSI Reproductive Choices bought the lease to the Marie Stopes Mothers’ Clinic, which had moved to central London by that time, and was due to close due to financial difficulties.

However, the organisation — which now has 600 clinics around the world — is distancing itself from Stopes in light of some of her beliefs.

The charity, which provides abortion and contraception services,  said it wanted to address the "understandable misapprehensions that MSI had a meaningful connection to her and her views".

“Marie Stopes was a pioneer for family planning; however, she was also a supporter of the eugenics movement and expressed many opinions, which are in stark contrast to MSI's core values and principles,” Simon Cooke, MSI Reproductive Choices chief executive, said.

"The name of the organisation has been a topic of discussion for many years and the events of 2020 have reaffirmed that changing our name is the right decision."

He added: “The new name also reflects the organisation's global vision: that, within a decade, no abortion will be unsafe and everyone will be able to access contraception.”

Additional reporting by Press Association