Your Choice: The History Of Women's Empowerment Through Birth Control

Throughout history, birth control has been a controversial subject.

Via makinghistoryatmacquarie.wordpress.com

For many years considered obscene, the subject of birth control and contraceptives remained unapproachable. The vast majority of women that wanted birth control were unable to obtain it, and those offering birth control methods to the public were often incarcerated and prosecuted. Much has changed over the years, and now birth control is widely available. However, most people--especially women--do not understand the impact access to birth control had on the empowerment of women, and how it shaped this great nation.

Where Did Birth Control Begin?

The act of using birth control dates back to some 3000 BC, when condoms made of animal bladders, animal skins, or linen sheaths, were used to prevent pregnancy. Eventually, spermicides made their way into popular use. When Charles Goodyear started making vulcanized rubber in 1839, other forms of contraceptives began to emerge, including rubber condoms, intrauterine devices, and womb veils (a pessary made of rubber).

In 1873, Congress passed laws making birth control and contraceptives illegal. They outlawed the propagation of contraceptive education, awareness, and availability. Throughout the 1880s and into the early 20th century, contraceptives continued to be developed, despite the laws preventing its distribution.

Via dulichsuckhoe.blogspot.com

Margaret Sanger, and others in the field, continued to offer birth control to women. She was arrested and prosecuted numerous times for breaking obscenity laws, but she didn't give up, and led the way for women's rights by opening (and re-opening) her clinic; which later to become known as Planned Parenthood. A judge lifted a federal ban on birth control in a case involving Margaret Sanger, ending the era of oppression for birth control activists.

The Turning Point for Women's Rights

With the first oral contraceptive for women, came the controversy of who should be allowed to use such forms of birth control. Enovid, a contraceptive pill, was approved for use by the FDA in 1960, but it wasn't until 1965 (in the case of Griswold v. Connecticut) that married couples were finally given the right to decide whether contraceptive use should be in their family planning arsenal. Ruled a right to privacy, the Supreme Court decided that use of contraceptives were a Constitutional right. This ruling excluded unmarried women, leaving millions of women without birth control.

Via malialitman.wordpress.com

By the 1970s, the feminist movement began to challenge the safety of commonly available oral contraceptives, and this paved the way for a better oral contraceptive and prescription information to be given out to users of "the Pill", which is still in use today!

Then, in 1972 during the case of Baird v. Eisenstadt, the Supreme Court legalized birth control for all women. Now, contraceptives would be available to any woman, regardless of her marital status.

What Did This Mean For Women?

When birth control became more widely available, the rights of women everywhere were changed. Now, they had the right to choose when and if they became mothers, giving rise to new opportunities. College attendance by women of childbearing age rose by significant levels, and more women joined the workforce. According to Dr. Gilbert Webb, a high risk obstetrician at Midwest Maternal-Fetal Medicine, more women are having babies after 35 than ever before. If they have the proper prenatal care, these births can be healthy and successful.

Via 3ruethomas.centerblog.net

The availability of contraceptives gave women the power to choose, and with this, the minds of those women expanded to the many avenues of life that had once been closed to them. Instead of worrying about preventing unplanned pregnancies, women were suddenly afforded the ability to focus their attention on their careers or their education. Birth control has made a very lasting impact on society and continues to shape our collective future.