Women’s access to birth control methods has made remarkable progress in 20th century, although misinformation is still circulating, Student Health Services sexologist Teri Aronowitz said.’
Aronowitz, a nurse practitioner, discussed the history of birth control methods with a group of 12 students at the Women’s Resource Center on Monday night.’
‘We are still in a patriarchal society, and it’s still not right,’ she said. ‘But we’re better off than a lot of places.’
In 1873, Congress passed the Comstock Law, prohibiting any advertisement or distribution of birth control information because it was deemed ‘obscene,’ Aronowitz said.’
During that time, certain companies developed ways to help the situation, she said.’
‘Kotex had the most ingenious way of helping,’ Aronowitz said. ‘They trained women to be home visitors and in those home visits, did birth control counseling. I could kiss them for that.”
However, there was still mass misinformation and lack of access to birth control, which lead to sometimes-lethal illegal abortions, Aronowitz said.’
Margaret Sanger, a midwife inspired by her mother’s death after 18 pregnancies and 11 live births, began challenging the Comstock Law in 1936 and was arrested over 100 times in the process, Aronowitz said.’
Sanger embarked on a quest to show women they could have a sexual life without getting pregnant and ultimately founded the American Birth Control League, which later became Planned Parenthood, Aronowitz said.’
Federal money was not available for family planning until 1967, she said.’
While Sanger was fighting women’s control in their sexual lives, the government demonstrated a slight shift in policy post-World War II, Aronowitz said.
Soldiers suffered from a syphilis outbreak, prompting federal distribution of condoms to prevent further spread of the disease, she said.
‘It was a double standard, because a woman couldn’t buy condoms to protect herself against pregnancy,’ she said. ‘It was used for men to protect against infection.’
As for modern contraceptives’ development, she said sea sponges were used as barrier methods thousands of years ago, eventually leading to today’s sponge method.
The first intrauterine devices, on the other hand, were pebbles used in camels’ uteruses to prevent pregnancies during long journeys, she said.’
Withdrawal has been popular throughout the 20th century and condoms used to be made form a variety of materials including linen, sheath, and animal intestine, she said. Goodyear developed the first rubber condom in 1844.
Diaphragms, which like today’s condoms, are latex, were also used in the past in different forms, she said. Women in Israel used lemon peels, which provided the double protection of acid to kill sperm and a barrier.’
The oral contraceptive pill stemmed from Dr. Gregory Pincus’s research in 1951, she said. The first birth control pill, Enovid, was introduced into the market but contained 100-150 micrograms of estrogen in comparison to today’s pills, which contain 20-35 micrograms.’
Many side-effects women worry about today when going on the pill stem from the original, high-estrogen brand, she said.’
Aronowitz said SHS offers contraceptive information, prescription and discounted birth control methods, such as Plan B.
Women Resource Center Manager Liz Metzger said the center has birth control discussions once a semester.
‘ ‘A lot of students have questions,’ Metzger, a Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitations graduate student, said. ‘And as a resource center, we want to provide them with up-to-date, accurate information.’
Student Health Liaison Stephanie Kubala organized the talk.
‘Terri is great at getting the discussion going,’ Kubala, a College of Arts and Sciences senior said. ‘You feel comfortable saying whatever you want to say.’
