ABSTRACT

In 1929 the Irish state banned the publication of any information that advocated the prevention of conception. While much research has examined the cleansing of sexual matters from motion pictures and literature, the mechanics of how aspects of sexuality, in this instance birth control information, was excised from the most affordable, most widely available, and most easily purchased medium – the press – have received scant attention. This article examines the origins of, the implementation of, and the controversies that arose from the banning of birth control information from the press in Ireland. Through an examination of state and ecclesiastical archives – as well as contemporaneous press coverage – it outlines the mechanics utilised by state and religious actors to cleanse the press of such content. The archives demonstrate an acute sensitivity on the part of Catholic moral entrepreneurs to any mention, as distinct from advocacy, of birth control in the press. This sensitivity led to those tasked with implementing censorship going beyond their remit in terms of imposing official and unofficial bans on various publications. Such actions delayed for decades any meaningful public discussion of birth control with the inevitable consequences this had for women in pre-1970s Ireland.

摘要

1929年，爱尔兰政府禁止发布任何提倡预防怀孕的信息。尽管许多研究已经从电影和文学作品中研究了性问题的清洗方法，但是如何从最实惠，最广泛使用和最容易购买的媒体（例如新闻媒体）中删除性方面的机制，在这种情况下，例如节育信息。 –没有引起足够的重视。本文探讨了爱尔兰新闻界禁止生育控制信息的起源，实施和争议。通过检查国家和教会档案，以及同时期的新闻报道，它概述了国家和宗教行为者用来清理新闻内容的机制。这些档案表明，天主教道德企业家对新闻界中提及节育的任何提倡（与倡导不同）都具有敏锐的敏感性。这种敏感性导致那些实施检查制度的人超出了他们对职权范围的限制，对各种出版物实行官方和非正式的禁令。这种行动延迟了数十年的任何有意义的公众对节育的公开讨论，这对1970年代以前的爱尔兰妇女产生了不可避免的后果。