Born: 1869 (Wuppertal, Germany)
Died: 1943
Biography:
Helene Stöcker (13 November 1869 – 24 February 1943) was a German feminist, pacifist, and gender activist. She played a significant role in advocating for women’s rights and challenging social norms in early 20th-century Germany. Stöcker was instrumental in securing legal protections for same-sex relationships between women, but her efforts to legalize abortion were ultimately unsuccessful.
Born in Wuppertal, Germany, Stöcker grew up in a Calvinist household that emphasized rationality and morality. She received her education at a school for girls before moving to Berlin to continue her studies. Stöcker later attended the University of Bern, where she became one of the first German women to earn her doctorate.
In 1905, Stöcker co-founded the League for the Protection of Mothers (Bund für Mutterschutz, BfM), an organization dedicated to advocating for the health and well-being of mothers. She served as the editor of the organization’s magazine, Mutterschutz, from 1905 to 1908, and later worked as the editor of Die Neue Generation from 1906 to 1932.
In 1909, Stöcker joined forces with Magnus Hirschfeld to successfully lobby the German parliament to exclude lesbian women from laws criminalizing homosexuality. This marked a significant step towards the recognition and protection of same-sex relationships between women in Germany.
Stöcker developed a new philosophy known as the New Ethic, which promoted equality for illegitimate children, the legalization of abortion, and sexual education. She believed that by fostering deeper and more equal relationships between men and women, women could achieve political and social equality. However, her advocacy for these ideas faced strong opposition from more conservative women’s organizations in Imperial Germany.
During World War I and the Weimar period, Stöcker shifted her focus to the peace movement. In 1921, she co-founded Paco (meaning peace in Esperanto), later known as the War Resisters’ International (Internationale der Kriegsdienstgegner, WRI), with Kees Boeke and Wilfred Wellock. Stöcker also played a significant role in the sexual reform movement of the Weimar era. The Bund für Mutterschutz sponsored sexual health clinics that provided contraception, marriage advice, and sometimes even abortions and sterilization services.
From 1929 to 1932, Stöcker led a final campaign for abortion rights in response to the papal encyclical, Casti connubii. This encyclical, issued in 1930, condemned sexual activities without the intention to procreate. Stöcker joined forces with the Socialist and Communist parties to challenge paragraph 218, which prohibited abortion. Unfortunately, this campaign ultimately failed.
When the Nazis came to power in Germany, Stöcker was forced to flee first to Switzerland and then to England when the Nazis invaded Austria. During this time, she continued her activism and participated in various conferences and events. Stöcker was attending a PEN writers conference in Sweden when World War II broke out and remained there until the Nazis invaded Norway. She then embarked on a perilous journey, which included traveling on the Trans-Siberian Railway, eventually finding refuge in Japan. In 1942, she finally emigrated to the United States, hoping to continue her work for women’s rights and peace. However, her health deteriorated, and she passed away on 24th February 1943.
Helene Stöcker made significant contributions to the advancement of women’s rights, pacifism, and gender equality. Her advocacy for same-sex relationships between women and her efforts to promote women’s reproductive rights continue to inspire feminist activists worldwide. Stöcker’s unwavering commitment to justice and equality leaves a lasting legacy in women’s history.