Due to the dominance of men and masculinity in our society, women have been required to protest and fight for rights. Whether the rights were social, health, legal or educational if women want something done they must force and reason with men to gain access to those rights. One of the salient causes that women have fought for and are still fighting for in this day of age is the full control of our bodies, specifically concerning reproduction. On account of being passionate about women’s rights, my topic is birth control and how it is portrayed and represented in different media sources that have liberal and conservative views and beliefs, I followed this topic by tracking coverage from the Washington Post and New York Times. Before I started …show more content…
By using loaded words and phrases such as “Striking” and “It’s not in your head“ in the title it automatically grabs the attention of the reader and it appeals to emotion. Throughout this article the author refers to the JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) as “heroes for finding something wrong with the pill”, this statement is representing birth control in a negative way because this analogy is presenting birth control as a villain and the researchers as a hero, which makes the situation seem black and white or one sided. The Post also only showed negative statistics, for example it stated that “ the use of anti-depressants by women spiked 80%” and that adolescent girls are prone to depression when on birth control. The New York Times also had an article about the JAMA’s study on birth control, the difference between the two articles is the way the sources presented this study. The Washington post used large numbers that conveys birth control as a problem and the Times stated that “40 % is not trivial and most women who use them will not get depressed” and brought up other reasons for depression in adolescents such as relationships, school and sexual relationship, this statement is defending the use and distribution of …show more content…
An article from the Washington Post attacked the viral twitter hash tag “#ThxBirthControl”, that was started by the Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky to celebrate the use of and access to contraception. The post that went along with the hashtag was “Birth Control is Essential Health care 99% of women use birth control at some point in their live”. The author of this article Michelle Ye Hee Lee did not approve; she harshly criticizes and questions the accuracy of this statistic. She is entitled to her opinion but the tone and language that she used clearly showed her right winged bias. She refers to the claims as “fishy” and that they are using it as an “easy talking point”. Lee ends the article by stating “We award this with 2 Pinocchio’s “, this statement creates a mocking and sarcastic tone towards the accessible birth control movement and it helps reveal the political position. Most articles about birth control from the New York Times have a positive tone, especially “ How to stop your period” by Katie Rogers. This article discussed the fact that not all women use birth control to prevent pregnancy and that many use it for health reasons, acne, careers and sports. Rogers article is promoting the positive and beneficial aspects of birth control and this illuminates the left wing perspective of the New York
Subsequently, the provided documents on the birth control movement did show the push and pull factors of the complicated and multifaceted debate. Americas push towards industrial growth, and technology demanded that the subsequent progressive reforms were needed for a society ushering in a new era. At the same time, fear and reluctance to abandon tradition and religious custom acted as the pulling factor. The birth control debate was a complicated and heavily charged debate teemed in religious, social, political, and racial rhetoric. Historical documents help shed new light on the things taken for granted today, even the most seemingly innocuous things like birth control were fought for, so that men and women today could be in charge of their own destinies.
When legally introduced to society in 1960, the Pill stirred up a long period of controversy. The availability of the Pill had great impact on women’s health, social life, laws, religion, family, relationships, morality and sexuality. Initially conceived to be highly effective and safe, the Pill left many women with side effects – few which led to several fatalities. Before the Pill was created, many women postponed sex due to the social norm and fear of becoming pregnant before marriage. Families grew large and it was typical for a woman to have multiple children caused by the lack of birth control. Due to regulations, such as the Comstock laws, many people supported the prohibition of the Pill and other family planning practices. However, many women believed in the right to control their own body when it came to procreation. Despite the controversies, the Pill left lasting impacts, such as by opening society to the sexual revolution and...
“When a motherhood becomes the fruit of a deep yearning, not the result of ignorance or accident, its children will become the foundation of a new race." (Margaret Sanger, 1) Margaret Sanger, known as the founder of birth control, declared this powerful statement. It is reality that the rights that are customary for women in the twentieth century have been the product of the arduous physical and mental work of many courageous women. These individuals fought for the right for women to be respected in both mind and body by bestowing on them the rights to protect their femininity and to gain the equivalent respect given to men. A remarkable woman named Margaret Sanger is the individual who incredibly contributed to the feministic revolution that took place in the 1920’s. Her legacy of making the right to use birth control legal for woman is a precedent in history for the foundation of the equal rights battle that is still being fought today. By giving control back to the women in their sexuality, Margaret Sanger also restored confidence in those women who felt that their lives revolved around pregnancy. She has become an influential icon to women all around the world who enjoy the security of birth control that gives them the freedom in their sexuality on a daily bases.
The topic of birth control in public schools has attracted much support from the American public from surveyed statistics. For example, a 2006 Associated Press-Ipsos survey discovered that 67% of Americans support the provision of contraceptives to students. This study also determined that, “About as many - 62 percent - said they believe providing birth control reduces the number of teenage pregnancies” (Associated Press). Such a huge percentage suggests that Americans are very concerned about the increasing cases of teen pregnancies and would eagerly adopt any method that has a possibility of reducing this problem. In addition, the subjects in the poll indicated that they believe that contraception usage in schools has the potential of reducing teenage pregnancies. Many American people support the view points, that schools should offer contraceptives to students in schools. This can really help minimize...
Imagine today in America’s hyper-sexualized society, not being provided with any knowledge about contraception or sexual education. Before Margaret Sanger’s activism, most women were in this position of oblivion about their own bodies. In “Morality of Birth Control”, Sanger argues effectively for the legalization and acceptance of both birth control and sexual education using ethos, pathos, and logos to strengthen her argument. Sanger organizes her argument by first presenting a series of questions that were sent out to “the most eminent men and women in the world.” These questions pertained to the opinions of these men and women on the topic of how birth control and awareness could potentially affect their society.
No other element of the Women’s Rights Movement has generated as much controversy as the debate over reproductive rights. As the movement gained momentum so did the demand for birth control, sex education, family planning and the repeal of all abortion laws. On January 22, 1973 the Supreme Court handed down the Roe v. Wade decision which declared abortion "fundamental right.” The ruling recognized the right of the individual “to be free from unwanted governmental intrusion into matters so fundamentally affecting a person as the right of a woman to decide whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.” (US Supreme Court, 1973) This federal-level ruling took effect, legalizing abortion for all women nationwide.
Birth Control has always been a topic of controversy in America, generating large opposition and actions to regulate it. The regulation of any form of birth control was made final with the Comstock Act being passed in 1873 that was a, “federal law that made it a crime to sell or distribute materials that could be used for contraception or abortion”. This act created by and enacted by Anthony Comstock, caused a long and troubling path for feminists attempting to break the patriarchal society and gain the freedom to control their own bodies and choices. The virdict was supported throughout the years and by the 1950s many opinions of religious people, political persons, and most men who accepted traditional gender roles continued on the path of
Contraception is it right or wrong and are you to young to decide for yourself? Recently we have been hearing a lot about Contraception ad if it is right or wrong and who gets to decide. The name of the Scholarly article that I chose to write about is, (Simonds & Ellertson, 2004, p. 1285-1297) Emergency Contraception and Morality reflections of health care workers and clients. In the United States our government goes back and forth between trying to be conservative and trying to separate personal feelings from what people are trying to push them to do. Our government has been taking steps to over haul health care in the United States and my doing so they have been talking about Contraception and if it’s right or wrong and what guide lines you have to follow to be eligible to receive it. Unplanned pregnancies or ‘surprises” as we call them happen all too often. At some point in our lives we are all affected by them. (Planned parent hood ad, New York Times p. 27 August, 15 2000) in the article the author was trying to prove that Contraception is neither wrong nor right because different cultures and religions have different beliefs. In this article it starts off giving statistics on pregnancy and the methods of contraception. On one end of the Contraception Spectrum there are condoms, abstinence, and birth control pills. During the 20th century contraception was often confused with abortion (Juker 1996) between 1873 and 1965 it was illegal to send information or materials pertaining to contraception or abortion in the mail. Legally and ideology, contraception and abortion share similar history and both are associated with the taboo subject of women’s sexuality (Hawkes 1995) in 1960 the birth control pill ushered in a revolution in c...
Due to the progressive nature of my argument, I will divide my argument into three part. I will use the first part to provide a background of Planned Parenthood and the second part to analyze why Republican’s criticism on Planned Parenthood is inaccurate and should be doubted. I will use scientific evidence to prove that both to “Post Birth Abortion” and “Illegal Sale of Tissue” claims are wrong. For the third part, I will discuss some vital implications derived from Planned Parenthood debate, and how a political controversy like that teach us how a person should
This article was my least favorite article out of these set of readings. The author explains how much pain and suffering women went thought before and during the 1930’s. Being a mother and a wife women went thought a lot due to the lack of resources. Margret Sanger explains how women are having risk pregnancies which cause them to become ill. Women wanted ways to stop having babies. However the doctors were basically saying it was not up to the husband. Overall I agree with Sanger, women should be informed of contraception and their bodies.
Sanger, Margaret. "The Morality of Birth Control." Gifts of Speech. Smith College, 2012. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
Imagine this, you have just found out you are pregnant and you’re far from ready to have a kid. You could be a teen, a victim of rape, a one night stand, it could be a multitude of reasons. You think to yourself, should I terminate this pregnancy to make my life easier? This is a question many women have with themselves or even a friend or family member. Abortion has been around for centuries, it even dates back to the BC era, but just recently during the 19th century abortion became a huge social and moral issue.
Robert Creamer. "Protecting Access to Birth Control Does Not Violate Religious Freedom." Current Controversies: Politics and Religion. Ed. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Lee’s Summit High School. 31 Oct. 2013
Who should be responsible for stopping the 120 million sperm that are released during a male orgasm from fertilizing a female’s egg? The context of that question has been a societal debate in terms of the consequences of unplanned pregnancy and whether it is a female, male or both sexes responsibility to practice “safe sex”. Introducing the birth control pill for women in the 1960s created a huge controversy between sexual conservatives and the women who would benefit from the pill, but the responsibility still remained in the hands of women. However, as medicine has advanced and the possibility of a male birth control pill has amounted, many wonder if the same issues would arise if a male birth control pill did in fact become available. In order to understand the effects on society of both individual female and male responsibilities it is essential that the women birth control pill is discussed, the male pill and lastly, what the stigmas and potential effects of both birth control pills mean.
As a young adult, it may seem foolish to predict what your future family life will look like, especially in regards to children. Often times this reality is forced upon a select few, particularly homosexual couples; however, with the innovation of in vitro fertilization (IVF), a couple is met with promise and the hope of a successful family life. IVF can be described as a process by which a fetus is genetically formed in a laboratory setting. Though this process may seem unnatural in essence, it allows for a more diverse family arrangement through medical innovation. This procedure, though controversial, is seen by many as an advancement in the medical field and can be accredited to procuring a healthy child for an unfortunate family, whether