History of Women's Health

A Brief History of Women's Reproductive Health & Rights in the United States

By: Zoe Wertlieb

Before we can start our more personal discussions about women’s health and rights, we at Women’s Health Education Redefined (WHE R) saw it necessary to provide a brief history of women’s reproductive health and rights in the United States. The history of women’s reproductive health education and rights in the US began long before the 20th century, but for our purposes we are beginning in 1916 when Margaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in the US.1 In 1918, Sanger won her case “to allow doctors to advise their married patients about birth control for health purposes,”2 and in 1942 paired with her clinic partners to form Planned Parenthood.3

In 1969, a group of volunteers called Jane that provided aid to women seeking an abortion, was founded; their goal was to prevent more women from experiencing and suffering from the dangers of illegal abortions.4 These volunteers put themselves at risk to help other women, and many of them were arrested for their actions.5

In 1970, a pamphlet entitled, Women and Their Bodies was published by the Boston Women’s Health Collective, which was expanded in 1973 to the book Our Bodies, Ourselves.6 They were among the first public works to encourage women to celebrate their sexuality, and discussed more taboo topics such as reproductive health, reproductive rights, lesbianism, and self-pleasure.7 In the same year, US Supreme Court Case Roe v Wade was passed, legalizing abortion on a federal level. This case was instrumental in progressing women’s reproductive rights. Before, getting an abortion in a state where it was illegal was extremely dangerous and often resulted in the mother being harmed from the unsanitary equipment, as well as afraid of being punished for engaging in what was then considered criminal activity.

In the 1970s, Helen Rodríguez-Trías founded The Committee to End Sterilization Abuse (CESA), which eventually led to The Committee for Abortion Rights and Against Sterilization Abuse (CARASA).8 CESA ended the practice of forced sterilization without informed consent that many Puerto Rican and Black women had to undergo in the South.9

In 1985, EMILY’s List was founded to elect Democratic, pro-choice women into office.10 Four years later, the progress for women’s reproductive health took a sharp turn in the opposite direction: the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) affirmed “the right of states to deny public funding for abortions and to prohibit public hospitals from performing abortions.”11 However, in 1992 SCOTUS upheld Roe v Wade in the case Planned Parenthood of Southeastern PA v Casey.12 Despite this seemingly return to the progress, the ruling allowed for states to make some restrictions in the abortion process, such as waiting periods, parental consent for minors, etc.13

In 1990, the Office of Research on Women’s Health was founded to ensure that women and minorities are included in clinical research, and to help scientists that are interested in researching women’s health.14 One year later, Dr. Bernadine Healy made history as the first female National Institute of Health (NIH) Director.15 That same year, the Action Plan for Women’s Health was published: it identified differing health needs for women “that required more attention and scrutiny,”16 research, prevention, access to health care, education, training, policy, and was delivered to Congress and the World Health Organization.17 In 1994, the CDC Office on Women’s Health and the FDA Office on Women’s Health were founded.18

In 1993, the first female condom was approved, allowing for some protection against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).19

Now, a transition to an extremely necessary focus on Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) women’s reproductive rights. In 1997, the First Minority Women’s Health Conference was conducted, where the Minority Women’s Health Panel of Experts was founded.20 That same year, the book Women of Color Health Data was published to provide information about health issues unique to BIPOC women.21 In 1998, the Reproductive Health of Refugees initiative was founded,22 and in 2010, the Health and Wellness Initiative for Women Attending Minority Institutions (think: Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities), was founded.23 The latter focused on HIV/AIDS, ending gender-based violence, and overall wellness for women.24

In 1998, Take Time to Care, “a multifaceted outreach program focused on the dissemination of health education materials to women & their families through collaborative partnerships,”25 was founded. That same year, the National Women’s Health Information Center was founded; it was the first website and toll free phone number to provide “reliable, accurate, commercial-free information on the health of women.”26

National Women’s Health Week began in 2000,27 yet in 2005 Congress passed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, which was the “first law to ban a specific abortion procedure,”28 which was upheld in 2006 by SCOTUS.29 In 2006, a contraceptive drug that used to be prescription-only became available over-the-counter for women 18 years and up, increasing its availability.30 Seven years later, a contraceptive became available over-the-counter “for women of child-bearing age, without age or other restrictions.”31 In 2009, a second-generation female condom was approved to help prevent HIV/AIDS, pregnancy, & other sexually transmitted infections.32

In 2016, SCOTUS struck down certain abortion clinic regulations because they were so burdensome, they forced some clinics to close.33

So, where are we now? On January 28, 2021, the Biden Administration issued a memorandum that revoked specific acts from the Trump Administration that endangered women’s health and reproductive rights.34 A couple of the acts revoked impacted women and girls globally (see: https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/01/28/us-biden-acts-undo-trump-damage-womens-health ), but one of them affected specifically women and girls within the US. The act being revoked is in Compliance with Statutory Program Integrity Requirements, also known as the “Domestic Gag Rule.”35 This act restricts healthcare providers in the Title X program, which is “a national program inside the US that funds family planning services...and ensures access to basic reproductive health care.”36 The act “eliminated the requirement for doctors to give neutral and factual information to pregnant women and prevented providers from telling women in the US about all of their pregnancy options, including abortion.”37 However, experts say that there are many more legislative and executive actions that the Biden Administration should take to prioritize women’s reproductive health and safety (see: https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/01/28/us-biden-acts-undo-trump-damage-womens-health ).

The Trump Administration made access to contraceptives more difficult by making “it easier for employers and schools to deny insurance coverage for contraceptives.”38 Many states have become increasingly hostile towards abortion rights within the past five years, and are turning their words into action. The Hyde Amendment, made in 1976, blocks “federal Medicaid funding for abortion services,”39 banning “federal funding for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or threat to a woman’s life.”40

A lot of changes have been made to bring awareness to discrimination on the basis of sex, especially with regards to women’s reproductive rights. All progress is met with debate, and women’s reproductive rights and health is one of those things. We must keep raising awareness on the political and social, local and federal levels, so that we can continue the fight to reach equal reproductive rights, which will eventually help us reach equality for all genders.

Footnotes:

1- Susan Milligan. “Stepping Through History,” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, January 20, 2017, https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2017-01-20/timeline-the-womens-rights-movement-in-the-us.

2- Milligan, "Stepping Through," US News.

3- Ibid.

4- "The Women's Health Movement," Clio, accessed May 2, 2021, https://www.cliohistory.org/click/body-health/health.

5- "The Women's," Clio.

6- Ibid.

7- Ibid.

8- Ibid.

9- Ibid.

10-Susan Milligan, "Stepping Through History: A Timeline of Women's Rights from 1769 to the 2017 Women's March on Washington.," US News, last modified January 20, 2017, accessed April 25, 2021, https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2017-01-20/timeline-the-womens-rights-movement-in-the-us.

11-Milligan, "Stepping Through," US News.

12- Ibid.

13- Ibid.

14- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Women's Health Timeline," Womenshealth.gov, accessed April 25, 2021, https://www.womenshealth.gov/files/documents/hhs-womens-health-timeline.pdf.

15- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "U.S. Department," Womenshealth.gov.

16- Ibid.

17- Ibid.

18- Ibid.

19- Ibid.

20- Ibid.

21- Ibid.

22- Ibid.

23- Ibid.

24- Ibid.

25- Ibid.

26- Ibid.

27- Ibid.

28- Susan Milligan, "Stepping Through History: A Timeline of Women's Rights from 1769 to the 2017 Women's March on Washington.," US News, last modified January 20, 2017, accessed April 25, 2021, https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2017-01-20/timeline-the-womens-rights-movement-in-the-us.

29- Milligan, "Stepping Through," US News.

30- Ibid.

31- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Women's Health Timeline," Womenshealth.gov, accessed April 25, 2021, https://www.womenshealth.gov/files/documents/hhs-womens-health-timeline.pdf.

32- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, "U.S. Department," Womenshealth.gov.

33- Susan Milligan, "Stepping Through History: A Timeline of Women's Rights from 1769 to the 2017 Women's March on Washington.," US News, last modified January 20, 2017, accessed April 25, 2021, https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2017-01-20/timeline-the-womens-rights-movement-in-the-us.

34- "US: Biden Acts to Undo Trump Damage to Women's Health," Human Rights Watch, last modified January 28, 2021, accessed April 25, 2021, https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/01/28/us-biden-acts-undo-trump-damage-womens-health#.

35- "US: Biden," Human Rights Watch.

36- Ibid.

37- Ibid.

38- Leah H. Keller et al., "Reviving Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the Biden-Harris Era," Guttmacher Institute, last modified November 10, 2020, accessed April 25, 2021, https://www.guttmacher.org/article/2020/11/reviving-sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights-biden-harris-era.

39- "Hyde Amendment," Planned Parenthood, accessed April 25, 2021, https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/hyde-amendment.

40- "Hyde Amendment," Planned Parenthood.

Works Cited

"Hyde Amendment." Planned Parenthood. Accessed April 25, 2021. https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/hyde-amendment.

Keller, Leah H., Adam Sonfield, Megan K. Donovan, Ruth Dawson, and Zara Ahmed. "Reviving Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the Biden-Harris Era." Guttmacher Institute. Last modified November 10, 2020. Accessed April 25, 2021. https://www.guttmacher.org/article/2020/11/reviving-sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights-biden-harris-era.

Milligan, Susan. "Stepping Through History: A Timeline of Women's Rights from 1769 to the 2017 Women's March on Washington." US News. Last modified January 20, 2017. Accessed April 25, 2021. https://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2017-01-20/timeline-the-womens-rights-movement-in-the-us.

"US: Biden Acts to Undo Trump Damage to Women's Health." Human Rights Watch. Last modified January 28, 2021. Accessed April 25, 2021. https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/01/28/us-biden-acts-undo-trump-damage-womens-health#.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Women's Health Timeline." Womenshealth.gov. Accessed April 25, 2021. https://www.womenshealth.gov/files/documents/hhs-womens-health-timeline.pdf.

"The Women's Health Movement." Clio. Accessed May 2, 2021. https://www.cliohistory.org/click/body-health/health.