When looking at women’s health policy in America, there seems to be a severe lack of a scientific perspective on the matter. Like most topics in politics, opinions tend to interfere with sensible policy making. But why, in the United States, is women’s health policy seemingly shaped by opinions rather than scientific data? When looking specifically at birth control methods and regulation, the political climate has been tumultuous to say the least. In the current political climate, there’s a disconnect between developing policy and science, and I want to explore why that’s the case.
Since a women’s ability to control her reproductive facilities is fundamental to her autonomy (although some would argue against this), why is there such a polarized debate surrounding birth control? I want to address the possible reasons the rhetoric surrounding birth control is controversial and lacks scientific understanding and discussion. Why is birth control a different health issue both scientifically and politically? Further, I will discuss how we can reshape the rhetoric and policy regarding birth control using a scientific perspective and what are the pros and cons of using that particular perspective.
The resources I would like to include in my thesis are; news articles regarding developing policies surrounding birth control and Planned Parenthood, scientific articles regarding the mechanisms of birth control, and various databases on teen pregnancy rates in states with and without heavy control over teens accessing birth control. Lastly, books that would discuss the history of birth control policy, also any books that would discuss the development of science surrounding birth control.
