ipl-logo

How Birth Control Changed America

1105 Words5 Pages

How Birth Control Changed America
The sexualization of women in the media is often overlooked in today’s world; as a result of frequency and the normalization it has received from the beginning. Although sexist ideology against women originates from an extremely young age, the perspective of women being sexually active for intentions that are not linked to reproduction is still viewed as being taboo. The twentieth century allowed women to have a yet another source of empowerment with the creation of a revolutionary oral contraceptive that would become a turning point in American medicine and life. This option created a decrease in the amount of teen pregnancies, thus allowing women to further their education which in turn, lowers the wage …show more content…

For centuries women were always supposed to just bear their husband’s child, and be nothing more than a mother and wife. This created lots of problems, such as the millions of childbirth related deaths and home abortions.This eventually sparked an initiative in Margaret Sanger. As a result of the death of Margaret Sanger’s mother due to multiple childbirths, Sanger was motivated to finding a prevention of pregnancy that could potentially save lives (Gibbs, Van Pyke and Adams 41). This task, however was not easily achieved. Sanger experienced multiple roadblocks on her journey to fight for the invention, as well as women’s rights to accessing oral contraceptives. In the year of 1914, Sanger was arrested for distribution of her magazine, The Woman Rebel which included progressive ideas about birth control use (41). Two years later, Sanger was arrested for a second time in Brooklyn, New York for opening the original family planning clinic (“History of Birth Control” 98). It was not until 1923 that Sanger achieved her goals of bringing America the first legal birth control clinic, which coined the name Planned Parenthood two years …show more content…

Planned Parenthood declares that, “College enrollment was 20% higher among women who could access the birth control pill legally by age 18 in 1970” (2) In the article “Love, Sex, Freedom and The Paradox Of the Pill” authors Kathleen Gibbs, Nancy Van Dyk and Deirdre Adams reveal that the increasing number of women going into college was a result of colleges and graduate schools being encouraged to change their perspective of women dropping out due to pregnancy and allowing them to attend. Thus making the number of women seeking an education to increase greatly, “...10% of first year law students to 36% and from 4% of business-school students to 28%” (45). Before birth control it was difficult for women to be accepted into colleges due to the sexism held by the majority of America which led them to believe that careers such as being a lawyer, was a job only a man could pursue. The contraceptive was making a huge impact on how women were looked at in the educational system, as well as how they could further their abilities without being restricted by having a child too

Show More
Related

Summary Of America And The Pill: A History Of Promise

1367 Words | 6 Pages

In America and The Pill: A History of Promise, Peril, and Liberation, Elaine May Tyler examined the history of birth control in the United States. May traced the pill's conception and evolution the United States through to the twenty-first century. The book consisted of an introduction, seven chapters, and a conclusion. May approached the topic in the context of influence of suffragist and reformer Margaret Sanger's advocacy originating in the late Progressive Era and Cold War American ideology, through to the emerging movements of the sexual revolution and the feminist movement, including acknowledging political, religious, racial, socio-economic, and gender bias factors.

Read More

Amita Kelly's Fact Check: Was Planned Parenthood

989 Words | 4 Pages

Margaret Sanger, founder of what is now Planned Parenthood, was known for her strong beliefs in birth control and eugenics during the early 1900s. Eugenics is the principle that supports the betterment and purification of the human race through selected reproduction; only those who make a positive contribution to the general society and possess esteemed qualities should be able to bare offspring. While there were many who did not agree with her distinctive beliefs, a part of the modern black community regards her as someone who believed, and attempted, to wipe out the African-American race of the early twentieth century. Amita Kelly, writer and digital editor for National Public Radio, published an article titled “Fact Check: Was Planned Parenthood

Read More

Elaine Tyler May's America And The Pill

820 Words | 4 Pages

The names jointly associated with the pills development are three males— Carl Djerassi, Gregory Pincus and John Rock. The two females who played a central role in its development, Katharine McCormick and Margaret Sanger, are often not associated. Also the hundreds of women who volunteered to participate in the pill’s risky clinical trials are not associated with its development, May depicts the reason for failure of recognition by shedding light to the darkness of the pill. She dedicates several pages to specifying the moral and physical risks posed by the pill. May provides supportive information about numerous research trials all over the world (including the U.S.), and the stories of countless women whose suffrage heavily contributed to the development of the pill and the approval for

Read More

Supreme Court Case: Griswold V. Connecticut

1192 Words | 5 Pages

Children Children remain a controversial issue in the law for women and occur frequently in debates today. The birth control movement started in 1873 with the Comstock Law, which outlawed the distribution of birth control information and devices through mail. This included birth control related items imported from outside the United States. The Comstock Law also outlawed possession of information about birth control, as well as possession of actual birth control devices or medications, including those for abortions or contraceptives.

Read More

Margaret Sanger The Children's Era Analysis

829 Words | 4 Pages

Sanger had been arrested many times for speaking out about her research and ideas on birth control; most of what Sanger was promoting was illegal, it wasn’t until the 1920’s that she began to work with the law. Sanger opened the first legal American Birth Control League in 1921, which later became what is now known at Planned Parenthood. Sanger spent years after sharing her research with the rest of the world and opening numerous clinics. Sanger delivered the speech The Children’s Era on March 30, 1925 in New York.

Read More

Margaret Sanger's Planned Parenthood

939 Words | 4 Pages

She begged for her to tell her a way to prevent conception, but Sanger could not tell her anything, as it was illegal. Sanger felt powerless and angry and resolved to somehow share knowledge of contraception with the women who needed it.” (Katzive, Caroline E.Margaret Sanger:...

Read More

Birth Control Contraceptive In The 1960's

286 Words | 2 Pages

Before the 1960s, not all women were allowed access to the popular birth control contraceptive known as “the pill.” Birth control pills were only given to married couples, due to the Supreme Court ruling in the year 1965. However, what about all the other unmarried women who needed means of contraceptives, right?

Read More

Birth Control Movement In The Early 1900s

460 Words | 2 Pages

The Progressive movement began during this time, and with it brought along many new ideas for people to consider. Those ideas consisted of civil rights with a kick start from the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), labor reform began to focus on children in the workplace, and women’s rights rose to attention with the idea of birth control for females without consultation of the man in a woman’s life. According to Frederick A. Blossom, Managing Editor of The Birth Control Review, “Summed up in a word, by ‘birth control’ is meant the regulation of contraception by harmless means, with a view to preventing birth of undesired children” (12). Birth control was and still is an effective way to prevent pregnancy within a couple, but back in the era of women not having rights, men were in command of most aspects of a relationship and family. Contraceptives in general were left up to the decision of the male in a relationship whether that surround the options for a man to use such as a condom, or if it was desired, a prescription for the woman to have a means of birth control.

Read More

Essay On Margaret Sanger

614 Words | 3 Pages

Margaret Sanger was an American birth control activist during the progressive era. She aided in legalizing birth control. Although she was a strong leader for women’s rights, many claimed she was racist and a supporter of abortion and eugenics. Despite these allegations, Sanger’s negative views of the disabled, fueled her inspiration to promote birth control, not that she wanted to exterminate the black race or that she didn’t value human life.. “Anti-choicers wield misattributed and often outright false quotes about Sanger as weapons to shame Black women” (Gandy 1).

Read More

Ethos And Pathos In Margaret Sanger's Speech

1351 Words | 6 Pages

In her pilgrimage to fight for women’s rights, activist Margaret Sanger created a speech on a severely controversial topic not only during her time period, but during our present time period as well. While many firmly disagreed with her and still do, she did bring to light a major disparity between sexes and social classes. By vocalizing her qualms with the rights of women, mainly in the middle and lower classes, to decide for themselves if they wish to have children or not. By voicing her opinions in an extremely misogynistic era she made herself a totem in women’s history. Women do have a right to decide for themselves if they wish to have children or not.

Read More

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Margaret Sanger's Speech On Birth Control

534 Words | 3 Pages

Taylor Hurst Kaiser AP Lang 11 November 2015 Analysis of Margaret Sanger’s Speech on Birth Control Margaret Sanger, an American birth control activist, made an announcement titled “The Children’s Era,’ at the first national birth-control conference in March of 1925. In this speech, Sanger attempts to influence her ideas and beliefs on the importance of birth control and contraceptives to the health of society’s women. She also vividly explains how controlled childbearing would apply to children who would eventually be born.

Read More

Margaret Sanger The Children's Era Summary

1073 Words | 5 Pages

Trying to prevent neglected children and back-alley abortions, Margaret Sanger gave the moving speech, “The Children’s Era,” in 1925 to spread information on the benefits and need for birth control and women's rights. Margaret Sanger--activist, educator, writer, and nurse--opened the first birth control clinic in the United States and established organizations that evolved into the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. During most of the 1900’s, birth control and abortions were illegal in the United States, causing women to give birth unwillingly to a child they must be fully responsible for. This caused illness and possible death for women attempting self-induced abortion. Sanger uses literary devices such as repetition and analogies

Read More

Margaret Sanger The Children's Era Speech Analysis

520 Words | 3 Pages

The argument over a woman’s right to choose over the life of an unborn baby has been a prevalent issue in America for many years. As a birth control activist, Margaret Sanger is recognized for her devotion to the pro-choice side of the debate as she has worked to provide sex education and legalize birth control. As part of her pro-choice movement, Sanger delivered a speech at the Sixth International Neo-Malthusian and Birth Control Conference in March of 1925. This speech is called “The Children’s Era,” in which she explains how she wants the twentieth century to become the “century of the child.” Margaret Sanger uses pathos throughout her speech as she brings up many of the negative possibilities that unplanned parenthood can bring for both children and parents.

Read More

The Women's Reproductive Rights Movement

2126 Words | 9 Pages

In 1960, the first birth control pill was put on the market. This was the first time a woman’s reproductive health was in her own control. Ever since the 1900’s women have been fighting for the right to their own reproductive rights (“The Fight for Reproductive Rights”). With the upcoming presidential election the right to obtain birth control and other contraceptives for women could be jeopardized, and taken out of the control of the woman. Thus, the history of birth control, the statistics of how it affects today’s society, why women should have the ability to obtain it easily, and how if outlawed it would not only hurt women, but also the economy are all important topics in the women’s rights movement and very relevant in modern day society.

Read More

Essay On Pros And Cons Of Birth Control

984 Words | 4 Pages

Birth control means This includes abortion or many other hormonal contraceptive methods. Many countries are now starting encourage this new policies in order to decrease the rate of population growth, which is affecting our Environment and society to a great extent. The main pros of enforcing a Birth control policy (according to the WHO) are: “Reducing infant mortality, Helping to prevent HIV/AIDS, Reducing adolescent pregnancies and Slowing population growth”. However, there are still some debates regarding how this practice comes against religious and ethical principles. Birth control policies vary from different areas of the world.

Read More

More about How Birth Control Changed America

Related Topics

Open Document