# data[].attributes.headline
                                            Today and Yesterday 

# data[].attributes.subject
                                            Today and Yesterday 

# data[].attributes.body
Women's Studies Term Assignment
CONTRACEPTION AND ABORTION

# data[].attributes.body
For my Women’s Studies final assignment, I chose to explore the topics of contraceptive and birth control. I selected these topics to gain more information on contraceptive options that I could apply to my everyday life. I also wanted to ensure the information I already acquired in my personal life was current and relevant.

I have an history of chemical (antibiotic, painkillers) allergic reactions and am often reluctant to take manufactured medications provided from my doctor. Before several serious allergic reactions, I have taken the birth control bill. I did not have a positive experience while taking it, as I often felt tired and emotional. I was hoping to learn of more alternative contraceptive possibilities.

In my teenage years and young adulthood, I was never faced with the experience of an unexpected pregnancy. With that being said, I never came across in-depth information on what to do if said circumstance occurred. Since there wasn’t a need for that type of information, I never sought it. I don’t remember practical information on abortions being provided in sexual health classes in high school.

Shortly before receiving this assignment, I was observing abortion websites to self-educate when I had a scare about a late period. I thought I would like to learn more on the processes of abortion and the effects of going through such a procedure would have on a woman, both physically and emotionally. When I noticed this topic was included on the assignment outline, I thought this would be the perfect topic to discuss.

Photo: December 2011.
Left to right: Myself. My Grandmother, Bridget. My Mother, Sharon.

# data[].attributes.body
For the “Yesterday” component of the assignment, I interviewed my mother, Sharon Marcelle, age fifty-eight. Sharon was born on January 10th, 1960 in Toronto, Ontario. As a mother of three, I knew there were some great stories to be heard. In our two-hour telephone conversation, I very much enjoyed hearing the stories of her growing up in an urban area during the late 1960s and 1970s.

Photo: Recent photo of my Mother in Spring 2017.
Left to right: My aunt, Lorraine. My mom, Sharon. My sister, Jennifer. My brother, Michael. My nephew, Maksym.

# data[].attributes.body
Her experiences as an adult in the 1980s was also shared. My mother gave birth to my sister, Jennifer Michelle, on January 11th, 1982, a day after turning twenty-two. Three years after, my brother, Michael Ryan Shawn, was born on August 9th, 1985. On June 28th, 1988, I was born to the name Victoria Anne. The most interesting story she shared had to be of her tubular (ectopic) pregnancy in 1990.

Photo: December 1992.
Top Left: My brother, Michael. Top right: Myself. Bottom: My sister, Jennifer.

# data[].attributes.body
Dressed in pink, to the right

# data[].attributes.body
Age 16

# data[].attributes.body
Age 19
Back row, middle
At her cousin's wedding

# data[].attributes.body
Furthest left

# data[].attributes.headline
                                      CONTRACEPTIVE YESTERDAY

# data[].attributes.subject
                                      CONTRACEPTIVE YESTERDAY

# data[].attributes.body
To get started, let's check out this video on the origins of birth control:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdr1yDO7MoY

In the 1960's to 1990's, some forms of birth control available were:

Birth control pills

Spermicide

Condoms

IUDs

# data[].attributes.body
The most common form of birth control during the 1960s and 1970s was the birth control pill because it was most accessible. The pill was the most encouraged form of contraceptive by doctors, therefore, the more socially acceptable of all methods.

Sharon can remember some doctors offering the pill for free for the first three months or completely free. Sharon remembers reading magazines and watching television commercials advertising the pill.

Sharon noticed the result of having the pill available to young women encouraged more promiscuous activity and having many sex partners. Sharon reflected that some girls received a prescription because they were in a relationship and stayed on the pill after a relationship ended. The intention was to continue sexual activity while dating or to have one night stands.

The sexual revolution of the 1960s was evident by women being able to choose the outcomes of their sexuality with birth control. Many felt liberated by engaging in sex with multiple partners and without the traditional ideals of marriage.

The birth control pill was made legal in Canada in 1969 with the help of nurse, Margaret Sanger's efforts.

For a brief overview on Margaret Sanger's work on the pill, check out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ7fp8j1uUU

# data[].attributes.body
Spermicide is a jelly, foam, cream substance which comes with an applicator that kills sperm. Recommend usage is before intercourse and one application per sexual intercourse encounter. The applicator is to be filled with spermicide and inserted into the vagina.There are also suppositories and film spermicide that is to be inserted into the vagina fifteen minutes before intercourse. With a finger, the suppository or film is to be placed deep into the vagina near the cervix.

# data[].attributes.body
An IUD is a device that is inserted into the uterus from a doctor. IUD means Intrauterine Device. They are made of flexible plastic in the shape of a “T”. IUDs prevent pregnancy by altering sperm cell movement, therefore, not allowing the sperm to reach the egg. If the sperm doesn’t make it to the egg, the pregnancy does not happen. There are two types of IUDs: made of copper or those that use the hormone, progestin, to prevent pregnancy.

COPPER T IUD are made of copper and can last for up to twelve years.

# data[].attributes.headline
                              TUBULAR (ECTOPIC) PREGNANCY 

# data[].attributes.subject
                              TUBULAR (ECTOPIC) PREGNANCY 

# data[].attributes.body
From a Copper T IUD inserted incorrectly from her doctor, my mother experienced one of the greatest pains in her life. This experience demonstrates how man-made contraceptive can have negative outcomes.

In 1989, after the birth of her third child, Sharon decided to use a Copper T IUD for her chosen method of birth control. Her sister, Lorraine, had used the IUD for years and did not get pregnant, so Sharon thought it would be a sound choice.

In July 1990, on the wedding day of her sister, Colleen, Sharon remembers feeling horribly sick and intense pain in the lower abdomen. She was sick for a few months unsure of the cause. In September 1990, her doctor explained she had a fetus developing in her fallopian tube – a tubular pregnancy. The surgery to remove the fetus evidentially caused a miscarriage. The doctor told Sharon she was lucky to be alive because the fetus could have exploded.

# data[].attributes.headline
                                           ABORTION YESTERDAY

# data[].attributes.subject
                                           ABORTION YESTERDAY

# data[].attributes.body
In 1988, abortion medical procedure was made legal in Canada.

During the 1960s to the 1980s, abortion was a private matter that most women did not speak freely about. Most narrow-minded attitudes on abortion are that it is an act against "God" and is a form of murder. Abortion issues were not advertised or encouraged to be discussed.

With this being said, women were more likely to keep the child than find alternatives. Sharon shares that young mothers were looked down upon and were shunned from other women.

Sharon admits she did not know much about abortion procedures or where she could find more information. Growing up in a Catholic household, she did not give it much thought. She assumes the girls who were more sexually active may of had more knowledge on it at that time.

At age eightteen, Sharon heard rumours that a twenty-five-year-old co-worker, gave herself an abortion with a coat hanger. She was a single mom and a nice person, but everyone looked down on her. Others had gossiped that she "slept around". This topic wasn't something a person would ever ask someone directly if it happened.

Sharon remembers "coat-hanger abortions" to be common tales at the time without much evidence supporting it happened.

# data[].attributes.headline
                                           CONTRACEPTIVE TODAY

# data[].attributes.subject
                                           CONTRACEPTIVE TODAY

# data[].attributes.body
The list of birth control options today is extensive compared to those mentioned in yesterday. With the advancements in science and technology, birth control options seem endless compared to those in the past. We now have the opportunity to correct what was faulty with older birth control and come up with safer methods, such as discussion on fertility awareness.

Women today are more informed with birth control options, as education initiatives are more evident and social attitudes more open. As with any product, if there is a demand, there will be a supply and it is clear there is still a demand for contraceptive in today's world.

IUDs, condoms, birth control pills and spermicide are still used today. Much of the more recent birth controls expanded on the idea of the birth control pill, but making it available in a variety of forms.

Birth Control options today:

Birth Control Implant

Birth Control Patch

Birth Control Pill

Birth Control Shot

Birth Control Sponge

Birth Control Vaginal Ring

Cervical Cap

Condom

Diaphragm

Female Condom

IUD

Spermicide

# data[].attributes.body
Vasectomy

Withdrawal (Pull out method)

Breastfeeding as Birth Control

Abstinence

Sterilization (Tubal Ligation)

Fertility Awareness Methods (FAMs)

# data[].attributes.headline
                                              ABORTION TODAY

# data[].attributes.subject
                                              ABORTION TODAY

# data[].attributes.body
Attitudes regarding abortion today are more open-minded than those of the past. People are more expressive of their interest, usage and concerns regarding abortion. Society as a whole has become more understanding towards those who are faced with the difficult, emotional decision of choosing an abortion. We now understand that there are a variety of reasons why a individual chooses to have an abortion.

Some of the reasons why people choose abortion:

Physical health problem

Possible fetal health problem

Victim of rape

Relationship problems

Trauma

Mental health challenges

Substance abuse or addiction problems

Can't afford a baby

Not ready for another child

Don't feel mature enough to raise a child

Abortion options today include:

RU-486 abortion pill

Suction abortion (also called vacuum aspiration)

Dilation and Evacuation (D&E)

Consider...

Emergency contraceptive

Plan B can prevent pregnancy by preventing a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus and stops the release of an egg from the ovary. The pill is for those who have had unprotected sex or contraceptive mishap within 72 hours.

# data[].attributes.headline
                                                      IMPACT 

# data[].attributes.subject
                                                      IMPACT 

# data[].attributes.body
Similar to my mother's upbringing, I was also raised Catholic. I attended a Catholic elementary and secondary school. I was raised with the ideals that you find one partner in life and marry that person. Dating and relationships were acceptable, however, the idea of having many sex partners was frowned upon. Being pregnant before marriage or at a young age would also bring disappointment to the family.

Growing up, I observed my mother with one man, my grandmother with one man, as well as both of my aunts being in committed marriages to one man. I did not see my female figures with multiple sex partners, so I developed the belief that multiple sex partners was not appropriate.

At the age of nineteen is when I first asked my doctor for a birth control pill prescription. After a few months, I decided this method of birth control did not agree with my body. My preferred method of birth control are condoms or fertility awareness. Being raised Catholic was probably the most effective birth control of all.

Just as my mother, I never was in the position to need in-depth information on abortion. Only at the age of twenty-nine, did I start to explore this topic with seriousness. I did not know many people who had an abortion or discussed it.

Most of all my friends or other females that I spoke to who were sexually active used the birth control pill. Like my mother's generation, the pill was the most popular and most socially acceptable from of contraceptive.

I find my mother and I to have similar life values which would reflect similar birth control practices and knowledge on abortion. It is clear my grandmother passed her values on to my mother and my life choices reflects I carried those values into my life as an adult.

How I feel "today" is different than "yesterday" is through the amount of awareness and education available on sex education, contraceptive methods and abortion options. Before researching this assignment, I would say I had an excellent general understanding of both topics researched. Living in a time with the internet and smartphones has enabled information to be more accessible. I feel my generation is more knowledgeable on these topics than my mother's generation.

# data[].attributes.body
Photo: December 1st, 2017. Age 29.