Plan B
On this weekend twenty six years ago, women paraded down New York's Fifth Avenue to mark the tenth anniversary of Women's Strike for Equality and the sixtieth anniversary of the women's right to vote.
Barbara Seaman was among the crowd of marchers. A health journalist focusing on patient concerns, she is well known for her book The Doctor's Case Against the Pill, which revealed the health risks of the birth control pill. The publication of the book led to Senate hearings on the dangers of the Pill after Seaman wrote to Senator Gaylord Nelson. The Senate hearings resulted in an FDA warning for users of the Pill, the first warning label for a prescription drug.
I was reminded of Barbara Seaman’s activism this week when birth control was again in the news, this time related to emergency contraception, AKA “the Morning After Pill”. On Thursday, after years of contentious debate, the FDA approved over-the-counter sales of emergency contraception to women 18 and older.
As expected, public leaders have expressed mixed reactions. Senator Hilary Clinton lauded the approval of the drug, while Senator Tom Coburn criticized it for the risk to women’s health.
What does the general public think? Some women are heralding it as a triumph, while other organizations such as NOW view it as an incomplete victory because it denies over-the-counter access to women younger than 18.
Which is it? And is this an issue of health or politics or both?
Double your impact to amplify Jewish women’s stories—
All gifts matched up to $35,000
Before you close this article, please consider supporting the Jewish Women’s Archive and uplifting Jewish women’s voices.
At JWA, we preserve the voices of Jewish women and gender-expansive people past and present, share them freely with millions online, and empower a new generation of Jewish feminists to lead with courage, creativity, and conviction.
But none of this happens without you. JWA is an independent nonprofit— we rely on people, like you, who believe that history belongs to all of us and that the voices of Jewish women must remain powerful, and heard.
This month, a generous JWA board member will match every gift dollar for dollar—up to $35,000—through June 30. Your contribution goes twice as far right now.
Every contribution—no matter the size—helps us document, teach, and inspire through Jewish women’s stories.
It takes less than a minute to make a difference.
Thank you for being a part of the JWA community,
Judith Rosenbaum, CEO
