Check out this author’s query from Elaine Tyler May, amazing feminist historian and big fan of feministing. (She’s the one who wrote feminist classic Homeward Bound, that I reviewed alongside Faludi last month.) Please, please take some time and respond!
The Pill is often considered one of the most important innovations of the twentieth century. As I investigate this claim for a new book—set for release on the 50th anniversary of the Pill’s FDA approval (Basic Books, 2010)—I’m looking to include the voices and stories of real people. I hope yours will be one of them. I’m eager to hear from men as well as women, of all ages and backgrounds.
Have you or any of your partners taken the Pill? Why or why not? How did it work for you—physically, emotionally, and ethically? How has it compared with other contraceptive methods you or your partners have used?What has been the impact of the Pill on your sex life, relationships, political or social attitudes, and beliefs about the medical or pharmaceutical establishments?
Do you have opinions about public policies related to access, availability, approval or limitations on the development and distribution of the Pill and related contraceptive products (the patch, the “morning after pill,� long-term injections, etc.).
Anything else you think I should know?
Send me (elainetylermay@gmail.com) your most richly detailed answers to any and all of these questions (and don’t forget to include your age, gender, where you live, occupation, ethnic/religious/racial background, sexual orientation, marital status, political party affiliation, or any other biographical info you think is important).
If you would like to participate in my study but would prefer to respond to a questionnaire, please let me know and I will happily send you one.
I’m interested in hearing from men and women who have used the Pill and those who have not, those who used it briefly or a long time ago, or who use it now. I am also eager to hear from people who work in fields that relate to the use and availability of the Pill (such as medicine, public health, social work, education, etc.). You will remain anonymous. I will use your contact information only to respond to you directly and to let you know when the book will be available for purchase (at a discount to contributors!).
And just one more thing. I not only want to hear your voice, but the voices of those you love, teach, preach to, learn from, and work with. Please pass this request on! The more responses I receive, and the greater the diversity of respondents, the more the book will reflect the wide range of experiences and attitudes that have shaped the Pill’s history over the last half century.
Thanks very much!
Elaine Tyler May
Elaine Tyler May grew up in Los Angeles and now teaches at the University of Minnesota. She was twelve years old in 1960 when the Pill was approved by the FDA. Although not yet old enough for the event to have any personal significance for her, she was already interested in the subject because her father was one of the clinical researchers who helped develop the Pill, and her mother was a founder of free birth control clinics in Los Angeles. In spite of her later efforts at responsible use of contraception, she is the mother of three offspring.
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I love the pill. I'm still a virgin, but I take it due to my irregular periods. They'd come, on average, every 6-9 months, be EXTREMELY heavy and the cramps? Childbirth simply has to hurt less. Since I've been taking the pill, my periods come every month, they are moderate to extremely light and I get almost no cramps, and when I DO cramp, it's just a twinge. I do, occasionally, spot mid-month, but overall I've had awesome results.
im glad that the pill is out there as an option for women. but the fact of the matter is that it is still being distributed by pharmaceutical companies whose primary interest is not in women's health but in making money.
i took the pill for two years and i stopped because i was bleeding for FIVE WEEKS straight. after extensive tests and doctor's visits, the only reason they could find for the bleeding was the fact that i was on the pill. if i would have known what it would have done to my body, i never would have taken it in the first place. education around how the pill works needs to be higher on our list of priorities, rather than getting more people on it.
despite my personal issues with it, i think its important that the choice is out there for women. but again, i think part of freedom of choice is having knowledge about each of the choices present and right now i do not think that there is enough information on what birth control pills can do to our bodies.
oh and ps. when birth control pills were being developed, united states researches used puerto rican women as essentially guinea pigs...pills that were up to twenty times stronger than what we have today were given to puerto rican women who lived in housing projects for "free"...so they successfully ruined their reproductive systems AND tweaked birth control so it was consumable by women in the united states...two birds with one stone.
again, as i wrote in my other comment, i think birth control is an important option that is incredibly useful for many women. but i just think we need to be educated about what it is more, and in this case, where it came from.
I have to have birth control even when I'm not sexually active because of my terrible pms and very irregular periods. Unfortunately, insurance will only cover about $3, which leaves me paying $60 for the pill (and I have a blasted low income). I tried the generics, but they're triphasic, which makes me feel pms-y all the time. I went without the pill for a long time because of the cost, but the pms got so bad (like suicidal bad) that I had to go back on it. Something has to be done to make it accessible to those of us with low incomes, though.
I really dig this project- I sent in a submission. fatima- that's HORRIFYING.
I suppose this is a bit of a non-sequitir but this seems as good a place as any for this post:
Reproductive freedom for women around the world is one key element in saving the planet, because overpopulation drives all our other environmental problems.
I also had irregular periods when I first started to menstruate. But I started taking birth control because I would bleed for 5 weeks straight. I consider my pills to be a blessing.
Fatima, that's a horrible story. I'm sorry that happened to you, and it also disgusts me what they did in PR. Being Cuban it hits close to home.
Thanks for the heads up on the research. I've emailed her personally with my story.
Fatima, I agree that the initial history is important to keep in mind. I'm far from an expert on the subject, but from what I know about it, the morality behind the Puerto Rico testing is murky, and I don't think it's as black and white as your comment might suggest. It was chosen to be the first widespread testing area (though not the first human testing) because over population in Puerto Rico was a large concern, particularly with the related poverty, and its government supported birth control as a means to address the issue. The government welcomed the opportunity, as did most of the citizens. The test subjects were ill-informed of the risks if at all, and the dosage given was around 3x what it should've been (I've never heard 20), and caused health problems for many. However, most of the women who participated were desperate, and being on the pill prevented many from dying in childbirth or in abortions, neither of which were safe with the low access to proper medical care. It is likely that the risks created in taking the drug were far outweighed.
Looking at it on the one hand, you have researchers who targeted a population to exploit their desperation, and who were too poor to relocate so they'd be easier to study. On the other hand, they offered it to the people who needed it most and where it could do the most good. This testing also led directly to FDA approval and legitimization of the Pill, which has helped tens of millions of people. It's very hard to find and absolute right and wrong here.
The early history of the pill is absolutely murky, and we do well to remember while those of us who use and love hormonal contraceptives sing their praises. I want to add, all the early pills were 3-5X the dosage that is considered safe today, even the version that was released in the US mainland. There was a lot of pseudoscience surrounding its use after its release, too.
I submitted, too, and my story was similar to Fatima's, except exchange heavy bleeding for migraines and vomiting. The pill works for lots and lots and lots of women, and is a wonderful thing and should be available to all income levels, races, ethnicities--everyone. But I wonder if there is enough unbiased information out there, readily available, about the risks. Hormones can be VERY bad for you if you're not careful(remember all the flap a few years ago about estrogen as a menopause treatment?), just like any medication. Sometimes I think that gets skipped over.
Does that mean the pill should be less available? Absolutely not. But there should be more emphasis on the risks, and (or maybe this is just my experience) maybe the practice should be to start women on the LOWEST dose possible and up it as necessary, rather than vice versa.
you guys are right...i looked it up again and im getting various numbers in terms of how much stronger the pills were when tested on puerto rican women.
even so, go ahead and look up anything about the mass sterilization efforts in puerto rico...you will find some pretty horrifying things. i saw a documentary about it a few years ago...ill try to find out what it was called and get back to you all.
identity - using birth control as a reason to alleviate poverty is ridiculous to me. its one thing if an individual decides to take birth control for that reason but when it is coming from an outside (imperialistic) place, it is very clear what is really going on there. even in the united states, there has been controversy around birth control and sterilization being targeted towards women of color under the guise of "ending poverty". if they really want to end poverty, why not provide adequate social service resources to those that are in poverty - rather than trying to control the reproductive systems of brown women.
I don't disagree. As you said, this is particularly troubling since it was an external source pushing it on them. Using birth control to control poverty is unconscionable when it is done so forceably. However, having access to birth control does have the effect of alleviating some of the burdens of poverty. While it was US researchers that introduced this to PR, the local government was in favor of it, and the women clamored to get into the program before it filled up. Regardless of the unscrupulous intent of the providers, women wanted in because they thought it would make their lives better and safer.
Ending poverty isn't as simple as providing adequate social services, nor can these services always be offered - it's a systemic problem that goes much deeper. In the case of PR, the local government didn't have the means to provide these services, even if they were willing to.
"Using birth control to control poverty is unconscionable when it is done so forceably. However, having access to birth control does have the effect of alleviating some of the burdens of poverty..."
Exactly.
"...While it was US researchers that introduced this to PR, the local government was in favor of it, and the women clamored to get into the program before it filled up..."
Now this reminds me a bit of the way some men are clamoring to get into RISUG studies. See http://www.rxpgnews.com/latestclinicaltrials/RISUG_Reversible_Inhibition_of_Sperm_Under_Guidanc_3852_3852.shtml :
"...RISUG's chief developer, Prof. Sujoy Guha of the Indian Institute of Technology, says myths about men not being interested in contraception are just that: myths. 'I get letters from men all over the world who beg to come to India and participate in this study at their own expense.'"
I wouldn't accuse these guys of selling out to India.
"...Ending poverty isn't as simple as providing adequate social services, nor can these services always be offered..."
...and meanwhile, what about those of us who still want opportunities to have only 1 or 2 or 0 kids even if we would have enough social services to raise 8 adequately? Those opportunities shouldn't be limited to rich white women!
Hello everyone,
I just wanted to piggy-back on this post, and advertise my survey on the history of emergency contraception. You can link to it from my blog, or go directly to:
http://chnm.gmu.edu/tools/surveys/1005/