Topic 13 11/13/2012Birth ControlTalk about the history of birth controlBirth control means deciding whether or not sexual intercourse will result in pregnancy in a conscious intentional matter.Contraception: Refers to the prevention of the sperm reaching the egg. - it rules out a number of procedures which are popular, but not contraceptives. Birth control attempts go back to the beginnings of civilization. Ancient Egyptians had a number of contraceptive devices: - condoms made of linen (sperm swam thru the pores), - vaginal gloves made of crocodile dung (the crocodile was sacred animal and had magical powers so they expected it to work) (it worked because it was spermicidal because it was acidic.)- In the Mediterranean, plants would be ingested as contraceptive. During the rennessaince, a leather condom was made, but bad for sensitivity.Condoms became much more popular during the early 16th century because of great epidemic of syphilis. In 1843: Goodyear invented / prevented the rotting of rubber. Latex condom provided a very thin sheath, which conducts heat reasonably well, and does not take away from sexual experience for males. - made for the prevention of disease. - then people found out that you can use it as a contraception as well. Civil war: wherever you have armys on the march, you always have campfollowers (wifes, prostitutes) During the civil war, they found that more men were incompacitated by a venereal disease than by shot and shell, so they encouraged the use of latex condoms especially with intercourse with prostitutes. **Margaret Sanger**Diaphragm technologySanger worked with Gregory Pinkous and John Rock to work on the science of oral contraception.Rock was catholic so he pushed for for something natural that his church could use. They started with pills of estrogen that would stimulate the pituitary gland to trick the mind that it was pregnant, and it shuts of ovulation.FDA approved itIT produced uproar, catholic church thought it was end of sacred marriage.Every instance of side affect and failure they played up to the skies: they said it was dangerous and it would kill person, but their has never been a drug that doesn’t produce bad side affects for some people.They found that women over 35 with circulatory problems, which is aggravated by smoking, should not use the pill because it interacts with estrogen and could be dangerous.For some women who could not take estrogen, they used the second ingredient in the pill (progesterone)Opposition: Said it (pill) was abortionOpposition: came from radical feminists complained that the women are the ones who suffer from the pills. Why don’t they make a male pill with side affects. Then the more sensible feminists started saying, if their was male pills, would you belive a man if they said that they took the pill?1980: the backlash against the pill reached its apex because in 1973, we had Roe V Wade, which stated that women has constitutional right not to continue with pregnancy and they laid down a rule. Abortion was a decision between women and physician during first tri mester. 3rd trimester, the state csan get involved about restricting or permitting. The outrage came from the roman catholic church. From protestant sets, there was absolute silence until the late 70’s. When a couple of evangelist preachers decided they had a goldmine fighting abortion: Jerry From the beginning, abortion was not permitted until the baby started kicking. As the medical profession got its dirty hands to deliver babies, their was tremendous baby mortality. Not sterile. They concluded that abortion was a dangerous procedure, not for the baby, but for the mother. They develop a constitution which would ban abortion period, no exceptions (under RONALD REAGAN<<<IMPORTANT) John rock took their pill to the church on purpose, but they refused.A drug was invented to prevent missacariage : ThalidamineWith this drug, babies were born deformed. You could see the baby in the womb, and mothers can choose not the have the baby. As the years go by, their have been less doage in birth control pills because it is not