Name Vera Houghton | Died November 30, 2013 | |
Born 18 October 1914 ( 1914-10-18 ) London Occupation British women's health campaigner | ||
Vera Houghton, Baroness Houghton of Sowerby CBE (18 October 1914 - 30 November 2013) was a British women's health campaigner, chair of the Abortion Law Reform Association and founder of the Birth Control Trust.
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Early life
She was born Vera Travis in London on 18 October 1914 and educated at Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls, Acton.
Career
Through her work with the Abortion Law Reform Association, she helped steer the Abortion Act 1967. Following this, she continued to campaign for women's reproductive rights by founding the Birth Control Trust, which pushed for universally free contraceptives. She also became active in the Family Planning Association, becoming its chair in 1973, with birth control becoming free available on the NHS in 1974. She also became executive secretary of the International Planned Parenthood Federationfrom 1953 to 1959. In 1986, she was awarded a CBE.
Personal life
In 1939, she married Douglas Houghton, the founder and general secretary of the Association of Officers for Taxes, where she had worked since 1934.