America And The Pill: A History of Promise, Peril, and Liberation

In “America and the Pill: A History of Promise, Peril, and Liberation”, Elaine Tyler May argues, “‘The Pill,’ as it quickly came to be known, was more than simply a convenient and reliable method of preventing pregnancy. For its advocates, developers, manufacturers, and users, the pill promised to solve the problems of the world” (pg. 2). May writes of the production and marketing of the pill, “This was the era of the expert, and experts seemed to be solving problems right and left. Americans were well primed to place their faith in scientists, doctors, and the pill to solve global, social, and personal problems” (pg. 5). Finally, May writes, “The pill took its place not as the miracle drug that would save the world, but as an important tool in women’s efforts to achieve control over their lives” (pg. 6). May’s work invokes politics, gender, and the history of science. Further, her father, Edward Tyler, played a key role in FDA approval of the pill.Discussing criticisms of the trials of the pill, May writes, “While there were certainly some clear cases of abuse and unethical practices, such as the coercive studies using psychiatric patients, the testing of the pill largely conformed to the standards of the day and often exceeded them” (pg. 28). May argues that postwar fears of overpopulation helped spread advocacy for the pill. She writes, “The birth control movement emerged parallel to the population control movement, and although they did not always have the same aims, the two often intersected” (pg. 38). Beginning with Kennedy and until Reagan’s gag rule, presidential administrations included contraception in foreign aid to help curtail fears that overpopulation in the third world would lead countries to embrace communism. May writes, “Regardless of the motives of advocates, poor women took advantage of whatever contraceptive services were available to them” (pg. 47). In this way, “women sought birth control wherever it was available. But their motives were personal. They used contraceptives to control their own fertility, not to control world population” (pg. 50).In terms of gender roles, May argues, “The pill disrupted power relations between the sexes” (pg. 70). She works to overturn the idea that the pill directly led to the sexual revolution. May writes, “The pill’s liberating potential was not actualized by the sexual revolution. Only when women themselves took control of the pill, not only by consuming it but also by making demands on their sexual partners, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and lawmakers, would the pill begin to fulfill its potential to change women’s lives for the better” (pg. 91). Gender biases also impeded the impetus to find a male equivalent of the pill. May writes, “The emphasis on women is embedded in the institutional frameworks of science, medicine, and pharmaceuticals. Both women and men think of reproduction in terms of women’s bodies and of birth control as a woman’s responsibility” (pg. 110). In terms of cultural authority, May writes, “The pill weakened the power of the papacy in the lives of Catholics, and after ‘Humanae Vitae’, turned many Catholics away from the Church altogether” (pg. 126). Addressing these types of unforeseen impacts, May writes, “Another unexpected effect of the pill was its contribution to increasing openness regarding matters of sex, reproduction, and contraception. Open communication enhanced women’s relationships with the men in their lives, their female friends, and their health care providers” (pg. 157).May concludes, “Without the political and cultural upheavals of the last fifty years, particularly those brought about by the feminist movement, the pill would have been just one more contraceptive – more effective and convenient than those that came before, but not revolutionary. Instead, it became a flash point for major social transformation” (pg. 171).

Good

This book provides a short, but interesting history of the birth control pill in America and discusses some of the positives and some of the negatives that have come to be associated with the pill.I doubt many younger people are aware that birth control was illegal in many states until about 1960. If fact, it remained illegal in Connecticut and Massachusetts until the Griswold case in 1965. Doctors who prescribed any sort of birth control were in danger of going to jail, and the primary method of birth control was rhythm roulette or the withdrawal method. The doctors who undertook the work of developing the pill did so under the cloak of controlling "women's issues" rather than as birth control.It was believed that when the pill came out, the level of promiscuity among women would rise. In fact, no such thing happened, although women in marriage had a bump in their libidos, as they no longer had to worry about getting pregnant at every turn. The release of the pill really didn't unleash the wave of sexual freedom that was feared and sometimes credited to the pill.The book discusses issues for women such as side effects of the pill and the gradual movement toward a low dose pill that was much safer than the original pill. Some women had real issues with the pill while others had no problems at all. It was interesting to see the mix.The book also described the effort to invent a birth control pill for males, although so far, all efforts of that front have been unsuccessful. Indeed, many women pointed out that if men had to take the pill, they would be a whole lot less interested in sex, as it is documented that men's libidos are tied directly to their fertility.The book was a very interesting read on the history of the pill, as well as some of the societal and physical side effects. I would recommend this book to anyone who doesn't know the history of the pill as it is quite enlightening!

El producto lo regrese fueron $22.80 y me estan regresando segun $20.02.digo segun por que ya tiene tiempo y no lo rembolsan

While an interesting and easy read, May lacks a critical eye on many issues she encounters in this book. Her dismissal of the problematic way the pill was tested on women in Puerto Rico is just one example.

I was required to read America and the Pill for a graduate level course and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. This book was incredibly informative and easy to read. I was able to get through it in about four hours. Elaine Tyler May provides an accurate account of the history of birth control while creating a sense of repeatability. The content is objective and eye opening. I really enjoyed reading this book.

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If I am writing an essay this book is helpful and informative. But I am looking for hormones not a book.Thank you for the fast delivery.😀😉😄