Birth Control From the Beginning

In this episode, Jen walks us through the long and arduous history of birth control, from random experiments (did someone say elephant dung?) to condoms, diaphragms, and birth control pills. A good portion of the episode is dedicated to discussing Margaret Sanger, covering not only her world-changing work on birth control reform and the establishment of Planned Parenthood, but also how many of her views overlapped with eugenics, culminating in the birth control pill trials that took place in Puerto Rico.

Check out some of our sources:

• Birth Control Pill: A History (Planned Parenthood)
• The First Birth Control Pill Used Puerto Rican Women as Guinea Pigs (History.com)
• The Dark History of Forced Sterilization of Latina Women (University of Pittsburgh)
• La Operación (Dailymotion)