The Birth Control Trial

Page 1

T he P ill T rial : P uerto R ico


E vent D escription It all began with a woman named Margaret Sanger who opened the first birth control clinic. She believed in the theory of eugenics which is the belief that undesirable populations could be reduced or eliminated by controlling their breeding. As a result, she wanted to find a way to control pregnancy. She decided to partner up with Gregory Pincus, a controversial biologist, who specialized in mammal reproduction in order to create a cheap birth control pill. They also partnered up with Katharine Dexter McCormick, a philanthropist who took the lead in the risky scientific experiments. Within the eyes of Pincus and Sanger, Puerto Rico

was the idealized put. At the time, it was within the middle of a populace boom, and destitution was wild. It was moreover domestic to birth control clinics that had once been supported by the U.S. government under the New Deal programs. Eventually, roughly one-third of Puerto Rican ladies were sterilized—many involuntarily—under approaches that constrained ladies to experience hysterectomies after their moment child’s birth. Thus, this created many candidates for Pincus’s trials. Women who were educated didn’t want to take the unused pharmaceutical, dreading side impacts, but those with little to no education


were frantic to find a way that were frantic to find a could prevent them from pregnancy and sterilization. Pincus centered on that bunch of ladies amid clinical trials that enrolled within the poorest ranges of San Juan and other cities starting in 1955. Unfortunately, the women who took the contraceptive were aware that it prevents pregnancy but they didn’t know it was still experimental, given any information about the drug or that they were human test subjects in a clinical trial. At the time the risks were horrible because the pills had a very high dose of hormones than any modern day pill and caused the women to experience significant side effects. But Pincus felt that there was no reason to change the that there was no

reason to change the birth control pill formula even if it caused nausea or depression. During the clinical trials three women died but it’s unclear whether they are linked to the pills since no autopsies were done. By modern guidelines, the shrouded trials were both untrustworthy and risky. Ladies who concurred to require the sedate did out of edginess, but without full disclosure of what may be at stake. But for Pincus, the trial was a victory: The tall dose of hormones all but guaranteed trial members wouldn’t get pregnant, and within the field trials, the pill was about 100 percent viable. Pincus continued with a second trial, and the pills were moreover tried on ladies and men in mental refuges without consent.


Original Designs


Original Designs


Monument

This is an important and significant event because it plays a key ro This event has allowed women to have protection against unwante ceptives that they like better. However, at the same time this event believe this event deserves a monument as a reminder that consen women who were sacrificed to this experiment without their know and a clipboard that tells the story of this event and in the lid of th warning/instruction handout around the pills and clipboard.


Zine Design

ole in women’s history, medical treatment and a person’s consent. ed pregnancy and allow them to have another option for contrat violated women’s bodies and their consents to such treatment. I nt is a crucial part in all kinds of situations and as a tribute to the wledge. My design for this monument includes birth control pills he pill container a tribute to these women and I also included a

It all began with a woman named Margaret Sanger who opened the first birth control clinic. She believed in the theory of eugenics which is the belief that undesirable populations could be reduced or eliminated by controlling their breeding. As a result, she wanted to find a way to control pregnancy. She decided to partner up with Gregory Pincus, a controversial biologist, who specialized in mammal reproduction in order to create a cheap birth control pill. They also partnered up with Katharine Dexter McCormick, a philanthropist who took the lead in the risky scientific experiments. Within the eyes of Pincus and Sanger, Puerto Rico was the idealized put. At the time, it was within the middle of a populace boom, and destitution was wild. It was moreover domestic to birth control clinics that had once been supported by the U.S. government under the New Deal programs. Eventually, roughly one-third of Puerto Rican ladies were sterilized—many involuntarily— under approaches that constrained ladies to experience hysterectomies after their moment child’s birth. Thus, this created many candidates for Pincus’s trials. Women who were educated didn’t want to take the unused pharmaceutical, dreading side impacts, but those with little to no education were frantic to find a way that could prevent them from pregnancy and sterilization. Pincus centered on that bunch of ladies amid clinical trials that enrolled within the poorest ranges of San Juan and other cities starting in 1955. Unfortunately, the women who took the contraceptive were aware that it prevents pregnancy but they didn’t know it was still experimental, given any information about the drug or that they were human test subjects in a clinical trial. At the time the risks were horrible because the pills had a very high dose of hormones than any modern day pill and caused the women to experience significant side effects. But Pincus felt that there was no reason to change the birth control pill formula even if it caused nausea or depression. During the clinical trials three women died but it’s unclear whether they are linked to the pills since no autopsies were done. By modern guidelines, the shrouded trials were both untrustworthy and risky. Ladies who concurred to require the sedate did out of edginess, but without full disclosure of what may be at stake. But for Pincus, the trial was a victory: The tall dose of hormones all but guaranteed trial members wouldn’t get pregnant, and within the field trials, the pill was about 100 percent viable. Pincus continued with a second trial, and the pills were moreover tried on ladies and men in mental refuges without consent.


GMU L ocation : P eterson H all

The location I would put the monument in the GMU Fairfax campus would be next to Peterson because that is where we have most of our medical and science students go to for classes. To remind them that even in the name of science to never treat humans as lab rats and that without proper consent you are violating the rights of people.


World Location: San Juan

As for where I would put it in the world I believe that it would only make sense to put it in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Because the women who were involved in this experiment should know that their pain and suffering was not in vain and has helped women all over the world. Our generation has more control over their body as a result of their sacrifice.


Side Effects of Birth Control Pills


Pictures of the Event


Back Cover


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