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Invention of vulcanized rubber by American engineer Charles Goodyear which allowed for the mass production of rubber condoms and diaphragms. (Times and Our Bodies )

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First advertisement of condoms in the New York Times; advertisement tagline read: “Those who have used them are never without them.” (Times)

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Comstock Act is passed by congress: making the use and distribution of contraception illegal. It also banned distribution through the mail and prohibited conception information and education, even from doctors. ( Our Bodies , PBS , Case , Times )

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The term “Birth Control” was coined by Margaret Sanger in the newsletter The Woman Rebel which offered education on birth control and purposely went against the Comstock Act laws at the time. (Times)

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Margaret Sanger along with her sister Ethel Byrne and activist Fania Mindell, opened the first birth control clinic in Brownsville, Brooklyn. The clinic was shut down 9 days later and all three women spent 30 days in jail. (Planned Parenthood)

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Advertisements portraying homemade forms of birth control with no scientific backing. “Lysol was advertised as a product that could “protect your married happiness” with a series of terrifying ads, depicting desperate women trying to keep the family harmony—so desperate, in fact, they were willing to use a household cleaner as a douche. Lysol didn’t have any contraceptive qualities—and could actually be quite harmful when inserted into the body—but that wasn’t the impression given by the company‘s marketing campaign. Another household product that many believed could prevent pregnancy was Coca-Cola.”  Times)

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Margaret Sanger founded the American Birth Control League with the purpose to educate people in the fact the women’s rights are human rights. (Times and ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA)

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Sanger opened the Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau in Manhattan. This clinic’s main purpose was to provide birth control devices to women and track its effectiveness over time. (Planned Parenthood)

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The USA has 55 birth control clinics. (Times)

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The federal ban on birth control was lifted by a judge. This allowed doctors to educated their patients on birth control. (Times and Our Bodies)

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The American Birth Control League and the Birth Control Clinical Research Bureau combined and became Planned Parenthood. (Planned Parenthood and ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA )

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“Planned Parenthood awarded a small grant to biologists Gregory Pincus, John Rock, and M.C. Chang to conduct research into a birth control pill.” (Planned Parenthood)

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The birth control pill was developed with help from researchers.  Our Bodies)

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The FDA approved hormone pills for “menstrual disorders” such as irregular periods. Advertisements and education was still illegal in many states. (Times)

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The FDA approve Enovid, the first oral birth control pill. (Our Bodies)

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The Supreme Court (Griswold v. Connecticut) allowed married couples to use birth control legally. By this time 6.5 million women were were taking oral birth control. It received the nickname “the Pill” allowing women to ask their doctors in a discrete manner.  (Times and Our Bodies)

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“The Pill” started to receive a lot of media attention due to its effects: “No previous medical phenomenon has ever quite matched the headlong U.S. rush to use the oral contraceptives now universally known as ‘the pills.’”  (Times)

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“FDA approved intrauterine devices (IUDs), bringing early versions like the Lippes Loop and Copper 7 to market.” (Our Bodies)

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“Feminists challenged the safety of oral contraceptives (the Pill) at well-publicized Congressional hearings. As a result, the formulation of the Pill was changed, and the package insert for prescription drugs came into being.” (Our Bodies)

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The Supreme Court (in Baird v. Eisenstadt) ruled birth control legal for all citizens regardless of marital status.  (Our Bodies)

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40% of married women 15 - 44 were using some form of contraception. (Times)

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New forms of birth control come onto the market such as low dose pills, copper IUDs and emergency contraception. (Our Bodies)

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New forms of birth control continue to hit the market throughout this decade. Contraceptive implants (1990), female condoms (1993), and Plan B (1999) are introduced. (Our Bodies)

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Prescription birth control is now required to be covered for employees of the federal government. (Planned Parenthood)

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Birth control options continue to expand. New forms of emergency contraception are released along with the hormonal patch (2001), and Nuvaring (2001), and different brands of IUDs (Our Bodies)

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Plan B One-Step, an emergency contraception pill, becomes available for purchase without a prescription nationwide (Our Bodies)

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99% of American women used some form of birth control or contraception throughout their lives. (Planned Parenthood)

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reproductive freedom for all women button

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"I have a Planned Parenthood sticker on my laptop because of the university I go to. Most people associate Miami as conservative and our Hamilton campus allows a disgusting pro life demonstration every year. I want people to be able to see that I stand for pro choice, giving women affordable health services, mental health services, contraception, and honestly so much more. My sticker isn't just about supporting Planned Parenthood but it is about supporting women and their right to take care of their bodies in the way they best see fit."

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"I really like stickers that just kind of make a point about me without me having to say anything. (For example, my planned parenthood and URGE stickers show that I'm not gonna entertain any anti-choice nonsense from people). The Trojan sticker specifically says "consent. Ask for it." and I think that's really important because people need to learn what consent is and that they need to ask for it with every single act they do. The fact that it is from Trojan doesn't really matter to me all that much, but safe sex is the best sex, so if it reminds people to use a condom, then that's a bonus."

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I was scared of the fact that I was not in control over anything. It might have stemmed from personal anxiety or from the social expectation that society has placed upon young women. I found power in birth control. Sexual power and control. Power over my body, my life, my future, my relationship, and my education. Starting with the pill then moving on to an IUD, I am no longer scared.
Birth control has empowered me, and I hope other women feel/can feel the same way. The political climate, media, negative stigma, and lack of knowledge surrounding birth control can inhibit that. I believe that understanding birth control, its history, how it is is today and how it is being portrayed will allow one to become empowered by this knowledge.
Knowledge is power!
Through my project, I want to demonstrate how powerful and important birth control is the betterment of women, men, and our society as a whole. Birth control can be thought of as a very personal thing. I want to bring the private sphere into the public sphere. Sexual health and control over one’s life should not be stigmatized and valued.