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Mary LaskerMary Lasker
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Part:         Session:         Page of 1143

Lasker:

It's because of the influence of the Catholic Church in those two states. It pervades everywhere, and especially terrorizes publishers of magazines and owners of radio and television stations in these states. In the early '40s it was even much tougher than it is now, and in 1939, when I first met Albert Lasker, the whole subject was taboo for men to work with women on; there were very few men interested in the Planned Parenthood Federation and it was practically impossible to get any men interested because it was considered sort of embarrassing and, oh, peculiar to be interested, and some of the men chose to think that birth control meant no sex at all.

Q:

This, again, related to the Roman idea.

Lasker:

Yes.

Imagine my pleasure and joy when after I met Albert Lasker and told him of my interest in the Birth Control Federation he said that he, too, felt it was one of the most important human and health problems in the United States and in the world. I was really deeply moved by his interest in the area and also by the fact that he was willing to contribute.

Before we were married in the spring of 1940 I took Albert to meet Margaret Sanger in her country place near Fishkill and he, too, was fond of her and admired her immensely. When I returned to New York in the fall of 1940, after our marriage, I was determined to try to see whether or not I could advance this





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