The Complicated History of Birth Control Pills

Join our host Aspen for the final episode of our Winter 2026 season! This month, we're diving into the history of the hormonal birth control pill and how it was created. Big heads up for medical racism, medical sexism, and eugenics. How was the first birth control pill created? What does colonialism and the mistreatment of Puerto Ricans have to do with it? How did Catholicism play a factor? How do we balance the history of harm with the benefits birth control provides? While we don't have enough time to touch on everything around this important history, answer these questions and more in this episode of Reproductive Left! Sources: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/01/1179378121/the-story-of-how-the-birth-control-pill-was-invented-and-tested https://www.history.com/articles/birth-control-pill-history-puerto-rico-enovid Image: Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition via Unsplash