Joseph "Jose" S. Belaval (1879–1953) was a Puerto Rican obstetrician, who was an influential advocate for birth control and sterilization programs for impoverished women in Puerto Rico.[1] Belaval served on the Board of Health of Puerto Rico from 1917 to 1938, becoming the board president in 1920.[2] In 1934, Belaval was appointed director of the first birth control clinic in Puerto Rico.[3][4][5]
Joseph S. Belaval | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1879 |
| Died | 1953 (aged 73–74) |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Known for | Influential advocate for birth control and sterilization programs for impoverished women in Puerto Rico |
| Medical career | |
| Field | Obstetrics |
| Institutions | Board of Health of Puerto Rico |
He was appointed to the Board of Health[6] following his published writings advocating birth control in the early 1900s.[7][8] Belaval's writings were considered controversial because they were aimed at limiting the poor population in Puerto Rico, and because Puerto Rico's predominantly Catholic population opposed any type of birth control.[7][9][10][11]
A not-for-profit community hospital in Santurce, Puerto Rico bears his name.[12]
His son, Edgar Belaval, was Attorney General of Puerto Rico.
References
edit- ^ Briggs, Laura (December 2002). Reproducing empire: race, sex, science, and U.S. imperialism in Puerto Rico. University of California Press. p. 154. ISBN 0-520-23258-5.
- ^ Governor, Puerto Rico (1922). Report of the Governor of Porto Rico. p. 82. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ^ Williams, Doone; Greer Williams (1978). Every Child a Wanted Child: Clarence James Gamble M.D. and his work in the Birth Control Movement. Boston: Harvard University Press. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-674-27025-1.
- ^ Salvo, Joseph F., Mary G. Powers, and Rosemary Santana Cooney (September–October 1992). "Contraceptive Use and Sterilization Among Puerto Rican Women". Family Planning Perspectives. 24 (5): 219–223. doi:10.2307/2135873. JSTOR 2135873. PMID 1426184.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ López, Iris Ofelia (2008). Matters of choice: Puerto Rican women's struggle for reproductive freedom. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press. pp. 13–17. ISBN 978-0-8135-4373-4. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ^ "State and Insular Health Authorities, 1919". Public Health Reports. 34 (30): 1638. 25 July 1919. PMC 1996927. PMID 19314679.
- ^ a b Briggs, Laura (2002). Reproducing Empire: Race, Sex, Science, and U.S. Imperialism in Puerto Rico. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-23258-7.
- ^ Ramírez de Arellano; Annette B.; Conrad Seipp (1983). Colonialism, Catholicism, and Contraception: A History of Birth Control in Puerto Rico. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-9757-7.
- ^ Stycos, J. Mayone; Reuben Hill (January 1953). "The Prospects of Birth Control in Puerto Rico". Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 285: 137–144. doi:10.1177/000271625328500121. S2CID 145065473.
- ^ Tietze, Christopher (July 1947). "Human Fertility in Puerto Rico". The American Journal of Sociology. 53 (1): 34–40. doi:10.1086/220090. PMID 20253590. S2CID 144169802.
- ^ Briggs, Laura. "Discourses of "Forced Sterilization" in Puerto Rico: The Problem with the Speaking Subaltern" (PDF). Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ^ "Centro De Salud Comunal Dr Jose S Belaval, Inc". AllBusiness. Retrieved 14 May 2010.