The month of March is marked as Women’s History Month, and Bakersfield College celebrated by hosting a number of events including, “Contraception and Abortion,” which featured Dr. Janet Brody.
“This is a person of many talents,” said a woman who introduced Brody.
Brody, a history professor and an author, spoke about methods of contraception and abortion during the 19th century to a packed audience in BC’s Fireside Room on March 13.
According to Brody, although there is no direct evidence of what women thought about the use of contraceptives or abortion, evidence is there.
“You just have to dig,” said Brody.
Through diaries, letters, pamphlets and medical journals, Brody found evidence that many methods were advertised and used during that time period. In fact, the birth rate dropped 50 percent.
“There were scores of advertisements,” said Brody about how advertisements (advertising contraceptives) were inserted into cookbooks or on doorsteps.
According to other historians, the most common methods of prevention were male withdrawal, prolonged breast feeding and abstinence.
“I don’t agree,” said Brody.
According to Brody, the most common methods were douchings, spermicides, vaginal spongings and diaphragms.
“How this knowledge became so wide known, we cannot say,” said Brody.
Throughout the lecture, Brody showed slides of various published material that showed the different methods and how they were used.
Women would use syringes made of very accessible household items to sterilize themselves. “It was a very strong astringent,” said Brody. They even had water cure resorts that would show women how to use douching syringes.
Another method was sponging, which was known by many names such as depositories and womb veils.
“I was stunned,” said Brody while she was showing a slide of a druggist’s catalog selling the sponges.
According to Brody, women were prescribed pessaries (or diaphragms) for many ailments but were used to prevent pregnancy.
“These utterly horrifying pessaries… I find it hard to believe that women wore them,” said Brody talking about how they were made of either rubber or metal and was inserted into the uterus.
She also spoke about the typical male methods to prevent pregnancy. The most common method was the use of condoms.
According to Brody, condoms were made of paper (not reusable), animal skin (reusable) and many other things.
“You would expect that there would be,” Brody answered to an audience member’s question about an increase in infections.
As far as abortion goes, according to Brody, “hundreds and hundreds” of abortion pills were accessible; however, “abortion deaths were hidden.” They were often called birth complications.
After 1870, Brody explained, “Contraception and abortion became criminalized.”