The History of Birth Control and Society

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The History of Birth Control and Society People have been desperate to control how many children they have and abstinence is not really an option adults want to choose. Some ancient forms of birth control include: animal skins and intestines for condoms, lemons as barriers to protect from pregnancy, poisonous cocktails to cause abortion, and animal dung cocktails as spermicides. When those measures failed, women turned to abortions. (Rengal intro ix) Humankind has been trying to have sex without pregnancy since ancient times. Birth control methods have been around for centuries, the types and safety have varied over the years. The women's right revolution was a vital part in developing safe methods. Even though some people still think birth control is wrong, there are many benefits to controlling our population. Each individual family needs to make their own choices based on research and education; birth control can be seen as a very positive way to avoid abortion. Education is the key to keeping abortions and emotional trauma caused by unwanted pregnancies to a minimum. I have gained a sincere appreciation for all that modern women take for granted, including the women’s movement, all the trial and error of our ancient ancestors and all the dangerous ways women of our past have tried to prevent pregnancy. I am thankful that it is easy to decide when and how many children; a woman will have today. Ancient Methods Historical records are not always easy to find, since this is a personal topic and no physical proof would be left behind. “Our oldest records indicate that the practice of inducing abortions was used throughout the ancient world.”(Salisbury 1) ”Ancient Egyptian papyrus dating from 1550 B.C. recommend inser... ... middle of paper ... ...void pregnancy but other options range from 75%-99.9%. If a couple were to combine, barrier options with hormonal options that would be as close to 100% protections as possible without giving up intercourse. Works Cited Gunstream, Stanley E. Anatomy & Physiology: with integrated study guide. New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2010. 370-373. Print. Rengel, Marian. Encyclopedia of Birth Control. Phoenix, AZ: Orxy Press, 2000. Print. Salisbury, Joyce. Encyclopedia of Women in the Ancient World. Santa Barbara, Ca: ABC CLIO, 2001. Print. Schrager, Sarina M.D., Sarah Hoffmann BS. “Women’s Knowledge of Commonly Used Contraceptive Methods”. Wisconsin Medical Journal. 107.7(2008): 327. Print. Tone, Andrea. “Making Room for Rubbers: Gender, Technology, and Birth Control before the Pill.” History & Technology. 18.1(2002): 51. History Reference Center. Web. 8 Nov 2009.

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