Contact Your Librarians
. Text 860.407.6081
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Phone 860.932.4007
Library Hours
Spring Semester Hours for QV Danielson Campus Library
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Monday. 8am-8pm
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Tuesday. 8am-8pm
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Wednesday. 8am-8pm
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Thursday. 8am-8pm
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Friday. 8am-2pm
Spring Semester Hours for QV Willimantic Campus Library
- Monday: 11am-7pm
- Tuesday-Friday: By Appointment
Advances
Before the advent of the pill, alternative forms of contraceptives existed, but they were either unreliable or dangerous. The oldest form of contraceptives is the withdrawal method, but it is roughly 78% effective and relies mostly on the male to perform it. For centuries, early condoms were thick and mostly unpleasurable—made of materials like fish bladders or intestines. The same could be said for contraceptive sponges and diaphragms, which were created from variety of materials like cotton, bamboo, or rags.
Advances
Margaret Sanger and the Margaret Sanger Research Bureau searched for years for "an affordable and discreet method of family planning." With the help of biologist Gregory Pincus, gynecologist John Rock, and philanthropist Katharine Dexter McCormick, the first the pill was developed in 1950.
When the pill was approved by the FDA in 1960, it revolutionized freedom for women. Once approved by the FDA, it remained illegal for doctors to prescribe it in many states, including Connecticut. It was legalized nationally for married women in 1965 and all women in 1972. Once legalized, it gave all women an avenue to control their fertility and postpone having children to work, have relationships, or grow in other ways.
Modern diaphragms and condoms are at least 87% effective, the pill 93% effective, and IUD and Birth Control Implants around 99% effective (see complete percentage list).
Challenges
Despite the pill gaining popularity and approval in the 1960s, by the 1970s, there were questions about the effectiveness and safety of the contraceptive. Senator Gaylord Nelson spearheaded a hearing on the hazards of the pill. Oddly, out of all the testimonies about the hazards of the pill, there was not a single women who had taken the pill that was questioned.
While the hearings did not discontinue the pill, politicians still attempt to reduce access to contraceptives throughout the years. For example, in some states, the pill is not is covered by health insurance. In addition, some states advocate and promote abstinence-only sex education, which does little to educate young adults on contraceptives.
Advances
Before the 1900s, most sex education was done privately, at home, in a generally conservative manner. It was rarely taught in public schools due to its view of inappropriateness. If taught, it was often associated with Christian theology and values.
During the Progressive era, advocates began to stress teaching the importance of sex as a pleasure (see pg. 28) rather than solely a means for reproduction. At the same time, the rise of STDs from soldiers during WWI prompted the government to get involved in prompting "sexual hygiene."
By the sexual revolution of the 1960s, more organizations, like SIECUS, were able to develop open and honest resources regarding sex. SIECUS continues to be a notable resource on sex education with their Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education.
Comprehensive sex education includes medically accurate, appropriate, and affirming information on reproductive development, sexual activity, and contraception. In addition, it is effective in reducing school-age children’s rates of sexual activity, sexual risk behaviors, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Challenges
However, sex education continues to be a restrictive topic in some schools, with many advocating for how it is taught. Since the 1980s, the federal government has funded abstinence-only sex education in over 44 states that teach sex avoidance often without medically accurate information about reproduction. Only 13% of states, including Connecticut, require medically accurate sex education.
Research has found abstinence-based sex education ineffective. People who’ve had abstinence-based sex education have higher rates of teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections than those with comprehensive sex education. States that ban abortion are more likely to have abstinence-based sex education and provide less medically accurate information about sex and pregnancy.
Advances
Historically, most women had little to no access to reproductive or family planning healthcare. Most children were delivered at home with midwife care. Over the 20th century, childbirth was medicalized, moving out of homes with midwives into hospital-based delivery by doctors. Hospital and birthing center births are consistently ranked as safer for people giving birth and newborns. In general, access to reproductive health increased in the US with two government programs:
Community Health Centers (CHC)
Access to reproductive health services began through community health centers as part of President Johnson’s War on Poverty legislation, the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. This act led to the creation of urban and rural clinics that included women’s health services where no clinics or medical services existed. Community health centers remain centers of reproductive health and family planning services including gynecological screenings and prenatal services for un or underinsured people, people of color, and low-income people.
Medicaid
Medicaid is public insurance established in 1965 and provides healthcare for welfare recipients. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expanded Medicaid most broadly to people with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty line. Medicaid is a federal and state partnership, with states determining eligibility, and not all states have accepted the expanded access from the ACA (See interactive map for more details). Medicaid insurance is central in family planning and birthing, covering about 40% of all prenatal care and delivery (labor and delivery for uninsured people is covered by emergency Medicaid).
Challenges
Despite the advances, there are still racial disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes. Reasons for these disparities include provider and system bias and shortages of maternal services in areas called “maternal healthcare deserts.” These healthcare deserts make people travel longer for maternity services and may be impossible to do so without proper transportation.
In addition, while Medicaid has general guidelines set up by the Federal government, each state has their own specific requirements for eligibility. Unfortunately, some states have chosen not to expand their Medicaid coverage, often called “The Coverage Gap”, which results in around 2.2 million adults who cannot apply for Medicaid. This can be detrimental for childcare; for example, only one-third of states offer a full array of breastfeeding services, including classes and lactation consultants.
Finally, while the United States is ranked one of the highest in healthcare innovation, it ranks near the bottom when it comes to affordability of health insurance. In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau has reported that in 2017, 8.8 percent of people in the US did not have health insurance at all. Therefore, while woman’s healthcare is improving in the US, for those who have expensive or no health insurance, it creates an inaccessible barrier for a significant amount of people—particularly those who need any a variety of prenatal and postnatal needs.