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A lot has been said about the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill. I went to an interesting event hosted by my college (shout out to College of Charleston Women's and Gender Studies program!) that featured women who were among the first generation to take the birth control pill and who performed activism during the time of Roe v. Wade. A few of their remarks have stuck with me.
1. The pill gave women economic freedom first and foremost. I think we frequently forget this now, when the pill is perceived as way to have more "sexual freedom" by it's advocates and detractors. The accessibility of birth control to me doesn't immediately register with me as a factor in my relative economic freedom. The pill allowed women to stay in the workforce instead of leaving to have children, or to remove economic burden from their husbands, if they were married.
2. The pill was already widely used before the FDA approved it. I think this point illustrates that establishments aren't always keeping up with the needs of women and their families.
3. While all the women on the panel were smart, savy, even funny, I was disappointed when they expressed their dismay over the "lack of youth activism" surrounding reproductive rights today. First, they were making the mistake of comparing college aged students' involvement with their invovlement in a movement when they were in their 30s or 40s. Older women have way more resources and fewer obstacles to their involvement in whatever cause they choose to adopt. Second, they just don't realize how many young people are advocating for reproductive freedom today! They don't realize that the tactics and methods of activists today are really, really different from those of past activists. For example, take the amplify blog! Take all the videos South Carolina Youth Activists are making, or the campaigns for increased condom access.
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