BIRTH control as a public health medical practice to the medically indigent population of New York City has been in large measure dictated by the policies of the New York City Departments of Health, Hospitals, and Welfare. The position of the Department of Health was enunciated by the former commissioner, George James, who stated that public health programs in New York State operated under a body of law promulgated in 1881 and unchanged to the present. He further stated that interpretation of this law held that birth control information could not be disseminated generally, but must be limited to the information given by practicing physicians to their patients when necessary for the health of these patients. New York City Health Department policy on family planning was enunciated in 1944 and remained unchanged until recently. This policy indicated that information about the location of birth control clinic services could be given to an individual on request, but that no employees of the department would be asked to violate any personal religious principles in this regard. Other than giving this information, no one on the staff of the Department of Health was supposed to discuss birth control any further with any patient.' Since 1960, liberalization of this restrictive policy has evolved as a result of the Health Department's involvement in a broad and effective matemal and infant care program, of which family planning is an integral part. This program represents a cooperative venture of the New York City Department of Health and certain voluntary hospitals in developing satellite total maternity care clinics, which are hospital-staffed, though not hospital-based. Thus, care is brought closer to the core of the community in which the maternity patient resides without sacrificing patientphysician-hospital continuity of care. Family planning has been incorporated as part of the postpartum care of the enrolled patients, and the service is offered with no restrictions. The New York City Department of Hospital's policy on birth control was enunciated in Memorandum No. 34, dated September 22, 1958, which stated: