WS205 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Margaret Sanger, Hysterectomy, Aspirin
Document Summary
Fear that the amount of contraceptives would increase sexual desires. Margaret sanger: outspoken birth control activist, went to jail a lot, took on men, religions, laws, women supported her, wanted a pill after getting more access to condoms, was an anticatholisist, pinkus. Was declared a failure and had his funding cut off. Hormones held the key to a contraceptive pill. Priest would say that if women had birth control the faces of their unborn children would haunt them on their deathbeds: and they would go to hell. In catholic towns it was illegal to use birth control: hysterectomy right after birth, which was very hard, patients suffered a lot, very risky. Pinkus injected animals with progesterone: made it into a pill, and gave it to rabbits, women could not get it because he was not a doctor, turned to a catholic doctor john rocke. Was constrained by his faith and the laws (involvement in birth control would destroy his career)
