Roberta West Nicholson Historical Marker

This historical marker honors Roberta West Nicholson (1903-1987), who co-founded the Indiana Birth Control League, the predecessor to Planned Parenthood, in 1932. She dedicated her life to educating the public about family planning and social hygiene, fighting discrimination, and supporting children's causes. She also served in the state legislature from 1935 to 1936. During her time in office, Nicholson earned national fame as the the sponsor of a bill called the "Breach of Promise Bill," which passed in 1935. Also known as the "Anti-Heart Balm Bill," it prohibited partners from suing fiancés who broke off engagements or committed infidelity. Nicholson served in a number of leadership roles, including becoming the first director of the Indianapolis Social Hygiene Association (now called Lifesmart Youth) in 1943 and remained until 1960.

Nicholson was born on January 17, 1903 in Cincinnati, Ohio and grew up in a Republican family. As a young woman, she enrolled in the University of Cincinnati but left after just one semester. She disliked the sorority system; she considered it "boring" and disagreed with the rules that sorority sisters had to date men from fraternities and go to parties. Nicholson then attended a finishing school. In 1925, she married her husband Meredith Nicholson Jr. in Northpoint, Michigan and the couple moved to Indianapolis. At the time, the Ku Klux Klan was a major force in Indiana and influential in the Republican party. Disgusted, Nicholson became a Democrat and remained so for the rest of her life.

Nicholson's activist career began in the early 1930s when she and another reformer, Margaret Sanger, founded the Indiana Birth Control League. Nicholson committed herself to educating the public about sexual health, and she often went into poor neighborhoods where venereal diseases were common. Her experiences during these visits made her realize how little the public (and herself) knew about these issues. Her concern for children's welfare grew during this time as well. She founded the Juvenile Court Bi-Partisan Committee in 1932 to persuade politicians to reform the juvenile justice system, which eventually occurred in 1938. Nicholson also served as president of an adoption agency and group home called the Children's Bureau, and on the board of Directors of the Child Welfare League.

Nicholson also joined the effort to repeal Prohibition. She was critical of the fact that it led to the rise of gangster-related crime and was concerned that her children would think she was breaking the law whenever she drank alcoholic beverages. In 1933, the governor appointed her to the Liquor Control Advisory Board and she became a member of the Women's Organization of National Prohibition Repeal. She was also elected secretary of state to state's constitutional convention that ratified the 21st Amendment, which repealed Prohibition.

Believing that Democrats had a good chance in Indiana and given the policies of the Roosevelt administration, a county chairman urged Nicholson to run for office in the state legislature in 1934. She won and was the only woman to serve during her term. Despite the sexism she received from her male colleagues, Nicholson was undaunted and, as noted above, she introduced the "Anti-Heart Balm Bill." She believed it was wrong for women to sue fiancés for money. In her opinion,

"…it just seemed perfectly silly to me, that from time immemorial, a female being engaged to be married could change her mind and say, ‘Sorry Joe, it’s all off.’ But if the man did, and if he had any money, he could be sued. I thought that was absolutely absurd...The thing that was so amazing and truly surprising to me is that it was widely interpreted as giving free reign to predatory males to take advantage of chaste maidens which, of course, was diametrically opposed to what my conception was. I thought-and I still think-that it was an early blow for women’s liberation. I thought it was undignified and disgusting that women sued men for the same changing their mind about getting married.”

The bill drew the attention from state and national press, some of which supported it. It took some time for it to pass due to opposition from some Senators who were wary of Indiana being the first state to debate the issue. Lawyers were also against it since they would lose out on business generated from breach of promise suits. After the bill passed, other states passed their own bills.

When her term ended, Nicholson became the Marion County Director of Women’s and Professional Work for the Works Progress Administration. She oversaw all of the women's jobs, such as sewing and bookbinding. In the aftermath of the Ohio River Flood in 1937, she was in charge of ensuring thousands of clothes were made for flood victims. Eleanor Roosevelt visited the project where the women made the clothes and spoke to Nicholson.

Nicholson's efforts against racial discrimination began in the early 1940s. The governor appointed her to commission that examined housing in Indianapolis and she discovered the housing discrimination African Americans faced from the real estate industry (they were barred form living in certain areas). African Americans faced further discrimination after the Selective Service Act was passed in 1940. The city built recreational facilities for white service members but none for African Americans. As a result of her efforts, Nicholson secured a recreational facility at Camp Atterbury and rented a building where the soldiers could sleep.

In 1960, Nicholson retired as the first director of the Indianapolis Social Hygiene Association, which she led since 1943. By then she had suffered from ulcers, which were likely caused by over exertion. She remained on the board of the Children's Bureau until she died in 1987.

Gaus, Laura. "Roberta West Nicholson." Encyclopedia Indianapolis." 1994. Last Updated 2021. https://indyencyclopedia.org/roberta-west-nicholson.

Poletika, Nicole. "Roberta West Nicholson: Eviscerator of Gold-Diggers & Champion of Social Reform." November 9, 2016. https://blog.history.in.gov/roberta-west-nicholson-eviscerator-of-gold-diggers-champion-of-social-reform.

Poletika, Nicole. "Roberta West Nicholson: “Without a Scintilla of Prejudice.” Indiana History Blog. November 15, 2016. https://blog.history.in.gov/roberta-west-nicholson-without-a-scintilla-of-prejudice.

"Rep. Robert West Nicholson 1903-1987." The Historical Marker Database. Accessed July 10, 2023. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=210951.

"Rep. Robert West Nicholson 1903-1987." Indiana Historical Bureau. Accessed July 10, 2023. https://www.in.gov/history/state-historical-markers/find-a-marker/find-historical-markers-by-county/indiana-historical-markers-by-county/rep.-roberta-west-nicholson,-1903-1987.