The Pill

Margaret Sanger made many contributions to society, but her most important one was advocating the right to use contraceptives. She helped educate people about birth control and even helped develop a contraceptive pill. Sanger lived to see her efforts become a reality when the Supreme Court overruled a Connecticut law that "prohibited the use of contraception." Sanger's most important contribution was that she allowed everyone the right to privacy over contraceptives and abortions.

When reading the 1966 pill article, I felt it was extremely conservative and seemed to exaggerate how the pill would affect society. However during the 1960s, many adults may have been worried about the younger generation, since the 1950s were such a conservative decade. I also think the pill could have been a small catalyst to the sex, drugs, and rock and roll that occurred during the 1960s and 1970s. I do think, like the article stated, that the pill "provides an invitation to premarital sex." However, I do not think "moral anarchy" will or has occurred by taking the pill. I do think the pill allows more women to have safe sex without getting pregnant.

I thought it was interesting to hear about the cultural norms before the pill was created. I was not surprised to hear how many people looked down upon those who had sex before they were married. However, I was surprised to hear how women wore girdles in the 1950s. I tend to associate wearing girdles with the 1700s through the 1800s, not something that was worn in the mid-1900s. It was also interesting to hear the male perspective on birth control; I wish the clip showed more about his point of view. I really liked the quote in the after clips about how the pill gave the woman a sense of "ownership over my body." Having a child can affect your life in such a dramatic way, that taking a pill to prevent this from happening can also have a dramatic impact on your life. The pill allows women to choose when they want to have a child. I also think the pill can prevent couples from having more children then they desire or can handle. Many people in the after and before videos described how their world was very sheltered and how the pill changed that because, as one person stated, "it changed our most basic assumptions about the way life should be organized." I think what surprised me the most about the videos was how the pill affected women's careers. It was disturbing to hear that a company hung up on a women during an interview because she had young children. While there is still gender inequality in the workplace, I think the pill greatly affected the level of respect and treatment women now receive in their jobs.