Con: One facet of the argument against birth control was the morality of it. Some people believed that, because women could control when they were to have kids, the pill would promote more casual, reckless sexual activity and cause women to lose morality. As we saw in the documentary in class, some went even as far to relate the pill to "prostitution and abortion." Another aspect of this side of the argument was the health risk the pill presented: studies found that women over thirty-five that smoked (which was very common) and took the pill had a higher risk of things like heart attacks and blood clots.
This birth control pill debate brought a lot of double standards between genders to light. Why were men's contraceptives considered normal but women's contraceptives were seen as a violation of morals? Could this just have been a refusal to allow women to have more power, an attempt to keep women subordinate to men?
At least today, almost sixty years later, society has moved past this debate and allow women to take control of their bodies the way they want to and don't interfere with their decisions.
Right? :/
Sources:
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/uhic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?zid=46b8ce3f64baefe999de168ca8fa2a6e&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CCX3468302420&userGroupName=gray02935&jsid=ad545500387bcc438c37a3283b01d2d7
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/a-brief-history-of-the-birth-control-pill/480/
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/5f/82/28/5f8228780b4917e4c85c2ccaf1bee5c0.jpg
http://d35brb9zkkbdsd.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/birth-control-pills.jpg
http://www.jillstanek.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/hobbylobbyprotest3.jpg
It's so interesting to see how the two perspectives on birth control in the 1960s are still relevant today. While Trump's new administration is a threat to women's rights to birth control, it's important to recognize that a lot of America is standing up to protect it (ex. the women's marches). If you're interested, I found an interesting link about the possible future of birth control, and how it will affect women across America: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/11/10/women-consider-long-term-birth-control-now-that-trump-victory-looms-over-reproductive-health/?utm_term=.2a95e32f6200
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good post on a topic that is controversial to this day. It is interesting how many believe birth control is immoral because it prevents life from happening, but it should be noted that the decision to carry a child rests solely on the woman. As you pointed out, although the topic is controversial the general movement now is shifting towards the acceptance of birth control in everyday life.
ReplyDeleteVery good and informative post. I appreciate this piece of writing especially because it relates so much to the controversy surrounding a woman's right to her body and sexual freedom which we deal with as a society today. I also like how the article discusses a time period in which women were able to break out of norms that society expected of them such as being humble and only exposing your body at certain times. Overall very well done.
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