Oral Contraception In America

The idea of contraception and the issues around it have and still are a controversial topic in America. Families throughout history have tried to take control over how many children and family members they have and plan to have. However, the science not being as advanced as it is today led to many unwanted pregnancies which then increased the need for a form of contraception. Men and women have both contributed to the issue and have tried numerous ways to prevent pregnancies for various reasons. The most popular form of contraception in America is currently oral contraceptives. In an ideal situation women would have the ability to easily access oral contraceptives and take them as they please. However, given the social structure of the American

society that is not always the case and often women in low-income areas are ultimately affected in different ways.
The history of contraception can date back hundreds of years and involves and array of issues that tie into the subject.

As such means there have been many different methods of contraception that people have tried over time. Contraception knowledge has been something that has been passed down among families and women for generations. In 1960, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first form of oral contraception. “At first, it was not legally available to unmarried minors” (Browne 603). This means that a large majority of women did not have legal access to oral contraceptive pills. This poses a problem in that if women were considered a minor and wanted oral contraceptives then they did not have access to it. However, overtime changes were made and eventually it was legalized to everyone. One of the most significant changes came with the decision by the Supreme Court in Griswold V. Connecticut in 1965 (Browne 604). The decision ruled that Connecticut no longer had the right to ban married women from gaining access to contraception. This gave individual women more power over their own bodies despite what their husbands wanted or would say. This does not mean that the husband did not still have influence over the wives decisions but it was a step in the right

direction.
In America today the types of contraception are the withdrawal method (commonly called the pull-out method) which involves removing the penis before ejaculation. This method is less likely to be effective in that it is hard to time and often a women may become pregnant off of pre-ejaculation. Another form of contraception that is commonly used is condoms. Condoms are usually made of latex and are worn during intercourse by the man on his penis. In the American society today condoms are extremely easy to access and can be bought at almost any store. They vary in price and in type. The problem with condoms is they can break during intercourse which may still lead to unwanted pregnancy. These two types of contraception are usually in control of by the man in the relationship which is why oral contraception (the pill) is the focus of this paper. Given that there is many other forms of contraception that could fall into either of these categories they are acknowledged but will not be discussed in this paper.
There are two main types of oral contraception pills progestin only pills and combination pills. They are both taken daily by the women to prevent pregnancy. Progestin-only pills are as the name says contain only progestin which is a hormone. The pill works by making the mucus and lining of the cervix thicker in order to make it harder for a sperm to attach itself to the uterus.
The more commonly taken of the two is the combination pills which