The First Birth Control Pill

One of the most significant happenings that the Birth Control Movement was responsible for was the creation of the birth control pill. In 1948, Margaret Sanger, biologist Gregory Pincus and physician John Rock began to research and develop the birth control pill. It got approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1960 (Kaufman). This oral contraception is a type of medication that women take daily to prevent pregnancy because these pills contain hormone that prevent a woman’s eggs from leaving the ovaries and making cervical mucus thicker which keeps the sperm from getting to the eggs (Planned Parenthood). Plannedparenthood.org stated that within five years of its approval, the birth control pill was used by one out of every married women

The Birth Control Movement of 1912 in the United States had a significant impact on Women’s Reproductive Rights. Women in the 1800s would frequently die or have complications during or after childbirth. Even if the woman would have died, they would still have a great amount of children. As the years progressed into the 1900s, the amount of children being born dropped. Because of this, birth control supplements were banned, forcing women to have a child that she was not prepared for or did not want to have in the first place.

Birth control has been a controversial topic since the 1960’s, when the pill arose on the scene and gained popularity. Men and women of certain religious faiths have sought to prevent other women from using birth control. However, most women want to be able to choose when the time is right for them to have a child. This is why birth control is essential, because it allows women and couples in general the freedom to choose and plan their families. In many cases the need to control women by controlling their access to birth control goes all the way to the federal government. The federal government determines what types of birth control are allowed on the market and who has access to them. Some Presidential administrations look more kindly

The issue of abortion is one of the most controversial topics of our time, but recently the amount of public interest has grown exponentially. A number of bills regarding this policy issue such as Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015 and Child Interstate Notification Act have both greatly influenced the public’s opinion of abortion. Although, the issue of abortion hasn’t always been like this; according to Timeline of Abortion Laws and Events, an article from the Chicago Tribune, “The earliest anti-abortion laws were intended to protect women from untrained abortionists.” (Timeline) Since the 1973 passing of the Supreme Court Case, Roe V Wade, women have been able to obtain the abortion procedure in all 50 states, 46 of which were

The Women’s March on January 21, 2017 also stirred the emotions of American citizens, for different reason. The vast response to the March throughout the country left some wondering why such action was needed, when women’s rights have come such a long way from when the US was founded. Those unware of the March’s mission are likely unaware that it was centered around many principles including: ending violence, LQBTQIA rights, worker’s rights, civil rights, disability rights, immigrant rights, environmental justice, and reproductive rights (Women’s March, 2017). The focus on reproductive right’s centered on reproductive freedom and an access to quality reproductive healthcare services, birth control, HIV/AIDS care and prevention, medically accurate sexuality education, and access to safe, legal, affordable abortion (Women’s March,2017). Access to abortion is an issue that varies state to state, similar to the issue of gun regulation.

In 1973 the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade established the legality of abortions. Since then, 23 cases on women’s reproductive rights have been through the Supreme Court, five of which have directly involved Planned Parenthood as the petitioner or respondent. Each of these has posed some threat to Planned Parenthood’s ability to provide abortion and have had the potential to deal a serious blow to women’s reproductive rights as whole. Nonetheless, Planned Parenthood has persevered and retained their ability to provide a full range of reproductive services to women. However, the political climate has shifted once again to one of the most right-wing governments in American history (Linker). Planned Parenthood faces an intense opposition,

wade. “Repeated challenges since 1973 narrowed the scope of Roe v. Wade but did not overturn it. In Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey (1992), the Supreme Court established that restrictions on abortion are unconstitutional if they place an “undue burden” on a woman seeking an abortion before the fetus is viable” (). “Since the roe decision, anti abortion lawmakers have not been able to ban abortion outright. Instead, they have developed a very successful strategy of limiting a woman’s access to the procedure and restricting the procedures that physicians can use to perform it” (76). “The restrictions that were given made life harder for women. All of these laws are meant to dissuade a woman from going through with the abortion. Feminists oppose the restrictions. They view the laws as condescending to women, who they feel know how to make up their own minds about this personal, private decision” (77). “When they eventually make their way back to a clinic, they may be much farther along in the pregnancy, when the procedure becomes more invasive, potentially more dangerous to the mother, and much more expensive” (77). “For some clinics, the expenses brought on by TRAP laws are so high the facilities shut down. By the fall of 2014, only eight abortion clinics in Texas were still standing. Before the law, some 10,000 Texas women had to travel more than 200 miles

Roe vs. Wade case was a ground-breaking landmark case because it gave a woman the right to choose. Since then landmark cases and legislation restricted a woman from having an abortion. The rights of the unborn are the reason why a woman's rights to have an abortion are being eroded. In addition, violent events have occurred because a woman has a right to have an abortion. Clearly, this topic has affected the political, health, social, and religious, aspects of our society. Currently, women are choosing not to have an abortion. The sentiment is so strong that a Harris poll showed that 72% of Americans say abortion should be illegal after the first 3 months of pregnancy. To make this point, abortion rates are down in the states where the abortion

Not even a year later in 1968 the underground abortion network was established, eventually leading to Roe v. Wade making it legal abortion nationwide. Approximately, one out of three women will get an abortion in their life time. With the upbringing of legal abortions, the Hyde Amendment was created, stating that federal money will not be used for abortions unless a drastic case, such as: rape, incest, or the mother was endangered, would occur. Planned Parenthood prevention and education is the main part of the clinic, making up 80% of their services, 3% is only put towards abortions

Before the introduction of modern birth control, gender roles emphasized the responsibility of women to conceive and raise children. Although this began to change in the in the mid-twentieth century, with the introduction of the first hormonal birth control pill, Enovid, taking place in 1960, it was not readily accessible during that time period (Buttar and Seward, 2009, p. 1-3). This did not change during the time period immediately following the introduction either; five years after the introduction of Enovid, there was still controversy surrounding the use of contraceptives. In the Supreme Court case of Griswold v. Connecticut, the legality of birth control on the market was debated, and the case concluded with the allowance of hormonal contraceptives, but it was limited to married couples only under the right of marital privacy (George and Lewis, 2016, p. 1). The controversy and secrecy that surrounded the use of birth control shortly after its introduction indicates that although it was certainly present and used in society during this time period, it still carried the negative social connotations of the past, which prevented it from being socially normalized. In contrast, the standardization of birth control in society took place decades later, from approximately the 1990 to 2010s.

Women today may have more choices but it has not always been this way. “Women of the past often didn’t get much a choice about their sexuality” (Bringle). However by 1950s, a pill to prevent pregnancy was created. Though this contraception was created, it was hard to get. A birth control advocate, Margaret Sanger, “attacked legislative restrictions on birth control”, informed many women the uses and positive aspects of using contraception, and encouraged doctors to give contraception guidance by opening “the first birth control clinic in New York in 1916” (Bringle). Even after the widespread information of birth control, the accessibility of it today is low. This pill is a necessity for women in today’s world and should be made more accessible. To use contraception, a doctor has to prescribe it and this prescription is rarely covered by

While these videos are not presented in clear quality, people across the U.S. are in outrage over the possibility. According to the article in the New York Times, “Arkansas became the fifth state to try and cut off state money by ending its contract with Planned Parenthood for services to residents covered by Medicaid…Arkansas follows Louisiana, Alabama, Utah, and New Hampshire.” This progression shows that action is already being taken to shut down Planned Parenthood’s in multiple states over controversy brought about by abortion. Again, this has nothing to do with birth control and yet women across states in the U.S. will suffer by not having access to contraceptives because of the scrutinized focus on abortion. America and Planned Parenthood are both losing sight of the benefits that they provide to women and are instead being swallowed into what may or may not be happening with abortions, instead of looking at the larger picture of everything Planned Parenthood provides. On a larger scale, the article from The Washington Post reported that “Senate Representatives have said they will push for a procedural vote…to defund the women’s reproductive rights group.” Not only are some clinics being shut down, there is a larger threat that the company may lose its funding entirely.

Planned Parenthood provides sexual and reproductive health care, education, information, and outreach to about five million men, women, and teens all across the globe in one year (Planned Parenthood 2014). The organization primarily focuses on high-quality service and affordable care for its clients. More than 10 million activists, supporters, and donors work toward women’s health, safety, and security of Planned Parenthood. Although the number of the supporters may be high, there are also many criticizers. Both sides test the stabilization of the organization all around the United States. From the time Planned Parenthood has been opened to the present, the organization has been closing its doors due to defunding and new laws being set in place.

A person may only have an abortion in the first three months of pregnancy. Also, if minors went into the clinic to get an abortion they need parents consent. If a woman age 18 or older goes in there for an abortion then they will require the woman to give the spouses consent. Although people did not want abortions or birth control given, shutting plan parenthood down will not stop either of those

Are you interested in birth control are know someone who is? Are you stuck or know someone who is stuck in between which birth control to use? Well, being a woman myself I have found that using the birth control Implanon was the best birth control for me only because it is convenient, mess free, and it last for up to three years. People around the world have used birth control methods for thousands of years. These methods include things such as condoms, pills, shots, and many other things that have advanced though out the years. Today, the world has many safe and effective birth control methods available to us, however all birth controls do not work the same for everyone.