The Fight For Birth Control Essay - 1963 Words

Introduction Women in today’s society have never known a time when contraceptive options were not available to them. As a general statement, acquiring some sort of contraceptives whether it is the pill, patch, condom, emergency contraception, or another of the many types of birth control is not difficult with the many options available to women today. However, backtrack to the early 1900’s and the story was completely different. In 1916, Margaret Sanger made contraceptive history by opening the first birth control clinic in Brooklyn, New York. The fight for birth control began. It was not until years later in 1960 that the birth control pill was approved by the Food and Drug Administration and since then many other varieties of birth control have made their way into the market (Kim Wasik, 2011). Today, thanks to those like Margaret Sanger who fought for contraceptives, women and couples who wish to avoid pregnancy have more choices than ever before. (Egarter et al, 201 3; Perry, 2015). The Importance Of Contraceptives Each year in the United States over 45% of pregnancies are unintended, many of these occur in young adults (Manlove, Welti, Wildsmith, Barry, 2014; Curtis et al., 2016). In addition to the already high percentage of unintended pregnancies, women who have had one unintended pregnancy are at an even greater risk for another pregnancy making contraceptives highly important for these women (Yu Hu, 2013). Contraceptives for women are important in order toShow MoreRelatedHis 145 Social Movements and Trends Essay698 Words   |  3 Pagesof equality and control of their bodies. Many instances occurred throughout history that supported a woman’s fight for equal representation and fair legislation, especially for those who were impoverished. This paper will discuss three articles from 1968 to 1977 that outline women’s battles against the government and the legal system regarding abortion and sterilization. The article details instances in which the government pursued unlawful sterilization as a form of birth control, or denied publicRead MoreMargaret Sanger And The Birth Control Movement Highlighted1187 Words   |  5 PagesMargaret Sanger and the Birth Control Movement highlighted a variety of important issues. These issues include women’s right to make decisions privately versus the right of a community to regulate moral behavior; the ethnic demographics of the American people; the ability of women to control their own physical destinies by limiting family size; and the idea that small families were the way to keep the American dream alive. The debate over birth control spoke to personal and political issues, whichRead MoreA Speech That Made History1553 Words   |  7 Pageswomen were very slowly starting to gain equality with men. Women were now able to get jobs, but they were still not fully in control of their own bodies. 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After years of dedication and hard work, Margaret Sanger not only accomplis hed what she had hoped for-making people understand the importance and necessity of birth control, but also accomplishes something greater by extending womens rights as well. In a society where it was considered inappropriate for girls to know about their anatomy and its functions, let alone talk and read about it, Margaret SangerRead MoreMargaret Sanger : A Birth Control Activist1508 Words   |  7 PagesMargaret Sanger was not only a birth control activist, she was also an author, a nurse and a sex educator and many of her influences for being an activist come from her family. Born on September 14, 1879, in Corning, New York, she was the sixth of eleven children born into a poor Roman Catholic family (Sanger 14). 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Teenagers are still growing and learning. Sometimes we forget that they are making choices that can affect their whole life. Yes, we are here to teach them and to guide them in making decisions that will help shape their future. Are they going to make mistakes? Are they going to regret some of their choices? Are they going to wish that they had listened to their parents at times that they didn’tRead MoreReproductive Rights : Women s Fight For Control1485 Words   |  6 PagesWomen’s Fight for Control Women having been fighting for equal rights for many years. Because of our genitalia, we will be paid less, we will be judged more, and we will have to fight to protect our basic human rights. Most women are born with the amazing ability to carry life; this is a blessing and a curse. Because of this ability, some people believe that a woman’s body is not completely her own, but that the government has rights to that body as well. We have been fighting to control our own