Former Islington resident Dr Marie Stopes - the founder of free family planning - died 50 years ago this month (2 October).<br><br>To mark her work which had a far reaching impact nationally and internationally, Islington Council has refurbished the commemorative plaque at 61 Marlborough Road, N7 - the family house where she opened her first mothers' clinic in 1921.<br><br>The clinic - the first of its kind in Britain - offered free advice on family planning and contraception to married women and created one of the greatest social impacts of the 20th century because for the first time couples could take control over their fertility and sexual and reproductive health.<br><br>Cllr James Kempton, Leader of Islington Council said: "Contraception has changed women's lives. It is difficult to imagine what the world would have been like without a pioneer like Marie Stopes. No wonder she was voted "Woman of the Millennium" by Guardian newspaper readers. <br><br>"A controversial character to some, Marie Stopes is very much a part of the rich culture and history of the borough. And I am proud to acknowledge her association and contribution to Islington."<br><br>In 1925, The Marie Stopes Clinic moved to a more central location, in Whitfield Street, W1. Subsequently, Stopes went on to set up a whole network of clinics and today the Marie Stopes International Global Partnership still operates from Whitfield Street and in over 40 countries worldwide. Marie Stopes died in 1958. <br><br>Tony Kerridge, spokesperson for Marie Stopes International: "We are delighted Islington Council has refurbished the plaque at the site where Marie Stopes began her work. Her contribution to the emancipation of women in is enormous. Through her efforts, women were freed from the burden of constant, debilitating childbearing, which continued to cause wholesale death and injury at the beginning of the 20th Century.<br><br>"The modern organisation which bears her name now brings the same opportunities to regulate fertility to an estimated 5 million women every year all over the developing world, where pregnancy and childbirth are still major causes of death and disability."<br><br>In 1999 Marie Stopes was voted "Woman of the millennium by Guardian newspaper readers in the UK.<br><br>Marie Stopes' image will be one of several appearing on a range of stamps released by the Royal Mail this autumn in a series called 'Women of Distinction'. The stamps also feature Elizabeth Garrett Anderson - the first woman to gain a medical qualification in Britain. The pioneer practised at Whitechapel Hospital (Now the Royal London Hospital). <br><br>Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Language College, N1 (a Girl's Community School) bears her name in recognition of her inspirational role to young women and her groundbreaking health role within the city fringe. <br><br>ENDS
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009