 Her reporting in 1958 about an unwritten ban on counseling and prescription of birth control in New York City hospitals was credited with helping overturn the ban.Asbury was known for her tenacity; New York City Mayor John Lindsay was said to have been so angered by her that he smashed his telephone after slamming down the receiver.Even after her retirement from the "Times" in 1981, Asbury continued to write for the paper, including items about travel to Europe and China.