Born: 15 October 1902, Spain
Died: 15 April 1968
Country most active: Spain
Also known as: NA
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Amparo Poch y Gascón was a significant Spanish figure in the fields of anarchism, pacifism, medicine, and activism during the Spanish Civil War.
As a founding member of Mujeres Libres, Amparo Poch y Gascón served as the Director of Social Assistance at the Ministry of Health and Social Assistance, appointed by Federica Montseny.
In Barcelona, she played a pivotal role in organizing Mujeres Libres and used her government role to support the creation of sanctuaries for sex workers, offering healthcare, therapy, and training for economic independence.
In 1929, Poch earned her biology and medicine degree. She later joined the Medical Association of Zaragoza, focusing on healthcare and sanitation. Her work aimed to reduce birth mortality rates in Zaragoza. In 1931, she published a guide for expectant mothers. By 1934, she established a women’s and children’s clinic in Madrid, leading to a drop in child mortality rates. Despite her pacifist stance, Poch became a vocal advocate for anti-monarch resistance and anarchism, expanding her mission to create accessible healthcare centers during the Civil War.
Amparo was a passionate advocate for women’s sexual awareness, promoting sexual freedom and challenging norms of monogamy and the sexual double standard. Unlike her Mujeres Libres co-founders, she had previous involvement with the reformist treintista CNT (The Confederación Nacional del Trabajo/National Confederation of Labor, an alliance of anarcho-syndicalist labor unions) before the war. She viewed women’s nature more as essentialist, celebrating motherhood as a natural, feminine state and championing an anarchist approach to child-rearing.
Apart from her contributions to women’s rights, Dr. Amparo Poch was well-known in pacifist circles. She co-led the Liga Española de Refractarios a la Guerra, a group of steadfast war resisters, alongside pacifist colleague José Brocca. During the Spanish Civil War, she actively aided war victims through the Orden del Olivo, the Spanish division of the War Resisters’ International.
Amparo Poch y Gascón passed away in exile in Toulouse in 1968.