100 simple things we take for granted: #14 Birth Control

14# Birth Control

(FULL LIST)
By Sparklingjem
Birth control used to be a woman’s problem. We think of it as a modern thing along with loose sexual morals when in fact they’ve both been around for years. Women have been quietly ingesting herbs known for their abortive properties (mostly poisons which had to be very carefully dosed) for thousands of years. The first recorded use is on an Ancient Egyptian papyrus from 1800 B.C.E. A few hundred years later a Greek botanist documented the effective use of a herb called Silphium. It’s popularity led to it becoming “worth it’s weight in silver” and it’s extinction.

"Well Done, Sister Suffragette!"

The suffragette movement brought birth control out into the open and birth control returned the favor by leading the feminist movement. What was once a back street industry, where women had to secretly buy herbs from “witches” (it still happens in some countries), became a woman’s right to her own body and the choice to be more than an incubator. No longer permanently pregnant, women could go to work and earn money, demand equality and fight for their rights. Legal systems changed to allow men to take responsibility for their actions and paternity tests helped where they were reluctant. Now men are far more conscious about birth control themselves and condoms are the most widely used form of contraceptive.

Simple maths appeals to men. VIEW FULL LIST......

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