The Birth Control Movement before Roe v. Wade

In: Journal of policy history: JPH, Band 7, Heft 1, S. 22-52

Abstract

Changes in sexual behavior, social values, & public policy are emphasized in an analysis of historical shifts in US public policies regarding human reproduction. Prior to 1840, the law on abortion in the US was generally permissive before quickening, but by the 1850s, pioneering social scientists had defined the declining birthrate among white, middle class Americans as a population problem. This remained an important consideration in public discussions of birth control, feminism, & the family for more than a century. Not until the 1950s did the social & political climate begin to change in ways that strengthened the hand of birth control advocates & not until 1970 did a politically potent population control coalition emerge. M. Maguire