Development of the contraceptive pill

Summary: Andrew Marr explores the significance of the birth control movement in the United States in the early 20th century. He looks at the background and controversy, the campaigning efforts of Margaret Sanger and the social impact of the contraceptive pill. Warning: Contains upsetting scenes. Teacher notes: This video can be used to consider the social impact of birth control on the lives of women. When studying feminism in the 1960s and 1970s, students are often asked to consider the impact of legislation referring to abortion and the introduction of the pill. This video is useful to illustrate why these were such important issues in the campaign for women's rights. This could offer a stimulus for a research project into the historical introduction of contraception and why some people faced persecution. Students could consider the impact on individuals and society today if we did not have access to effective contraception. Students could watch this video and, by dividing a page in two, could note down what contraception gave women 'freedom from...' and what it gave them 'freedom to...' , as a way of introducing the impact on life of the contraceptive pill. This could be the stimulus for a debate on whether other factors have had the same level of impact on women's lives. Examples of other factors might include education, expectations, media, feminism, technology or politics. Create a poster or cartoon for the Anti-Flirt League campaigning against Sanger and the perceived moral decline of women in the 1920s.