Developing Birth Control Policy in America: Where Science and Rhetoric Meet
Course Description:
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 we 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? We will 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, we 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.
This class will first focus on a scientific introduction to birth control, and move onto medical history, social history, and finally political history of birth control in the United States.
