In my American History class we had to write a research paper on an invention that has had a substantial impact on American society; it's probably no surprise that I chose to cover the birth control pill. I was going to post my long, tedious (albeit well-written) essay, but then I thought "Hey, why not post the documentary that was the basis for my paper in the first place?" Here you have it folks, the introduction to my research paper (for the heck of it) and the PBS special The Pill:
The birth control pill, or simply “the Pill," is no stranger to controversy. Devised at a time in American history when wholesome values and sexual conservatism reigned supreme, it was pegged by certain religious sectors as “intrinsically wrong,” and effectively divided the nation into two warring states: those who believed the Pill was an unnatural, sacrilegious abomination, and those who believed it was a pivotal step in securing sexual freedom and reproductive rights for millions of women nationwide.
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The birth control pill, or simply “the Pill," is no stranger to controversy. Devised at a time in American history when wholesome values and sexual conservatism reigned supreme, it was pegged by certain religious sectors as “intrinsically wrong,” and effectively divided the nation into two warring states: those who believed the Pill was an unnatural, sacrilegious abomination, and those who believed it was a pivotal step in securing sexual freedom and reproductive rights for millions of women nationwide.
No consensus was ever reached as Americans continue to bicker over the morality of contraception to this day, but whether the Pill is seen as a one-way ticket to Promiscuityville or a beacon of hope and liberation, it has drastically changed the way our nation thinks about sex, birth control, reproductive rights, and gender roles, and will likely do so for years to come.
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