Fertility Control for Problem Parents: A Five-Year Experiment in Newcastle Upon Tyne

Abstract

This survey into the use of contraception amongst problem families, conducted in Newcastle upon Tyne, was prompted by the observation that the normal birth control services available to the public are infrequently utilized by that section of the community which would appear to have the greatest need for them. Parents of large families in the lowest income groups rarely arrive at ordinary family planning clinics of their own volition, and even after attendance are unlikely to continue to make use of the service offered to them. It must be remembered that contraceptive advice is not part of the National Health Service and patients usually have to pay, at least for their supplies or, alternatively, to plead poverty.