Letter to the Editor: Opposes Sterilization: a machine readable edition Chester F. Durgin Creation of machine-readable version: Nancy Gallagher Additional scanning and OCR: Ben Schacher Conversion to TEI.2-conformant markup: Mary Margaret Welch Additional markup by: Hope Greenberg, Shane Barney ca. 5 kilobytes University of VermontBurlington, Vermont USA

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July/2000 Letter to the Editor: Opposes Sterilization The Burlington Free Press Chester F. Durgin

February 26, 1931

 February 26, 1931

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 February 26, 1931 WE'LL LET NANCY DETERMINE THESE Durgin, Chester F. Letter to the Editor: Opposes Sterilization Burlington Free Press February 26, 1931 p. 7 Newspaper clipping from the faculty file of Henry F. Perkins, University of Vermont Archives Opposes Sterilization To the Editor of the Free Press;

Feeling a duty to perform, I can no longer keep silent and neglect this opportunity of explaining my views on this bill.

1. I think it against God's plan of justice. Do unto others as you would like to be done by. 2. No home is complete without children to love and care for. 3. It is un‐American. We can no longer sing our National Anthem, "My Country 'tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty." and feel it is true.

I will mention some laws I think just as un‐American:

1. The Sunday laws. 2. Volstead Act.

I can't see how any sane thinker of today, be he statesman, M. D., or theologian, would even dare to do such a dastardly act.

As a statesman, you may think you are doing your duty to try and control the future destinies of the human race. I refer you to the law of God. "Honor thy Father and thy mother that thy days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."

As a doctor on heredity and criminals, I ask you if the later day research finds that insanity is not brought on in more cases through family troubles and financial depression, or it might be laws which are enforced on them which their conscience abhor. I ask if criminals are not more apt to be bred in the unborn child through the mother's attitude? I refer you to statistics on abortion.

As a theologian I refer you to your calling. Cry aloud: "Spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins" (Isaiah 58:1). Fellow citizens, let's get back to the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as we should like to be done by."

CHESTER F. DURGIN.
Enosburg Falls. Vt.

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