Margaret Pyke
Encyclopedia
Margaret Amy Pyke was a British
birth control
activist and family planning
pioneer. A founding member of the British National Birth Control Committee (NBCC), later known as the Family Planning Association
(FPA), she succeeded Lady Gertrude Denman
as chairman of that organization in 1954. She was also a member of the British Eugenics Society. Among other publications and articles, she wrote "Crypto Eugenics in The Empire" and "Family Planning: An Assessment" (extracted from The Eugenics Review, Vol 55 No 2, July 1963, Publication Date: 1963). In "Family Planning : An Assessment" Pyke stated "How should we tackle the problem of the Roman Catholic Church?" Pyke also claimed in the same article that there were "Allegedly 300 abortions every day in this country". Thus she was claiming there were approximately 109,500 abortions every year in 1963 (before abortion was legalised by the Abortion Act 1967). This is surprising as the number of abortions in the UK in 2003 was 181,600 according to the Department of Health statistics.
in late 1918. They had one son, David Pyke, who graduated from medical school in the mid-1940s and went on to become one of the leading experts on diabetes.
In 1923, Margaret found herself to be the object of the affection of Frank Ramsey
. The Pykes took Ramsey into their family, taking him on holiday, asking him to be the godfather of their young son. Ramsey made overtures to Margaret:
Margaret wanted time to consider his proposition and thus began an uncomfortable dance between. Ramsey married Lettice Baker in September 1925 and died in January 1930 aged 26.
Her husband committed suicide in 1948.
and Pyke's son David Pyke.
The Margaret Pyke Centre is the hub of a network of contraceptive clinics in London
. The Centre was designed by Jane Drew
and opened in 1969 by the Duke of Edinburgh
at the invitation of Lady Medawar.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
birth control
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
activist and family planning
Family planning
Family planning is the planning of when to have children, and the use of birth control and other techniques to implement such plans. Other techniques commonly used include sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, pre-conception counseling and...
pioneer. A founding member of the British National Birth Control Committee (NBCC), later known as the Family Planning Association
Family Planning Association
FPA is a UK registered charity working to enable people to make informed choices about sex and to enjoy sexual health. It is the national affiliate for the International Planned Parenthood Federation in the United Kingdom. It celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2010...
(FPA), she succeeded Lady Gertrude Denman
Gertrude Denman
Gertrude Mary Denman, Baroness Denman, GBE , née Pearson, sometimes known as Trudie, was a British woman active in women's rights issues including the promotion of Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom...
as chairman of that organization in 1954. She was also a member of the British Eugenics Society. Among other publications and articles, she wrote "Crypto Eugenics in The Empire" and "Family Planning: An Assessment" (extracted from The Eugenics Review, Vol 55 No 2, July 1963, Publication Date: 1963). In "Family Planning : An Assessment" Pyke stated "How should we tackle the problem of the Roman Catholic Church?" Pyke also claimed in the same article that there were "Allegedly 300 abortions every day in this country". Thus she was claiming there were approximately 109,500 abortions every year in 1963 (before abortion was legalised by the Abortion Act 1967). This is surprising as the number of abortions in the UK in 2003 was 181,600 according to the Department of Health statistics.
Family life
Born Margaret Amy Chubb in 1893, she married Geoffrey PykeGeoffrey Pyke
Geoffrey Nathaniel Joseph Pyke was an English journalist, educationalist, and later an inventor whose clever, but unorthodox, ideas could be difficult to implement...
in late 1918. They had one son, David Pyke, who graduated from medical school in the mid-1940s and went on to become one of the leading experts on diabetes.
In 1923, Margaret found herself to be the object of the affection of Frank Ramsey
Frank P. Ramsey
Frank Plumpton Ramsey was a British mathematician who, in addition to mathematics, made significant and precocious contributions in philosophy and economics before his death at the age of 26...
. The Pykes took Ramsey into their family, taking him on holiday, asking him to be the godfather of their young son. Ramsey made overtures to Margaret:
One afternoon I went out alone with her on Lake Orta and became filled with desire and we came back and lay on two beds side by side she reading, I pretending to, but with an awful conflict in my mind. After about an hour I said (she was wearing her horn spectacles and looking superlatively beautiful in the Burne Jones style) ‘Margaret will you fuck with me?’
Margaret wanted time to consider his proposition and thus began an uncomfortable dance between. Ramsey married Lettice Baker in September 1925 and died in January 1930 aged 26.
Her husband committed suicide in 1948.
Legacy
The Margaret Pyke Memorial Trust is a charity which funds training and research in the field of sexual and reproductive health. The Trust was established in 1966 by Lady Jean MedawarJean Medawar
Jean Shinglewood Medawar was a British author and a former chairman of the Family Planning Association, and wife of the British Nobelist Peter Brian Medawar....
and Pyke's son David Pyke.
The Margaret Pyke Centre is the hub of a network of contraceptive clinics in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The Centre was designed by Jane Drew
Jane Drew
Dame Jane Drew, DBE, FRIBA was an English modernist architect and town planner. She qualified at the AA School in London, and prior to World War II became one of the leading exponents of the Modern Movement in London....
and opened in 1969 by the Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
at the invitation of Lady Medawar.