Abstract

Science and Medical treatment have always been linked with each other. The evolution of health care in the United States has advanced over the year with research or technological (Shi & Singh, 2015). My paper is going to focus on birth control and how it has affected health care in the U. S. to date. Health care is amazing. Science continues to improve so our health care can advance in different stages. The scientific method along with trial and error demonstrates the advancements that have come into medical care today. My goal is to show you how the Birth Control pill is one of the biggest influences in Medical Care and the insurance industry today.
The Significant Event

Birth control or contraception, endearingly dubbed “the pill” by the American public made medical and scientific history in 1960. Since its inception the pill has been surrounded by controversy running the gamut from health concerns and moral choice to religious opposition and political-legal issues (Kruvard, 2012). This scientific marvel was introduced to America well before the feminist movement and women’s rights agendas entered the sociopolitical consciousness. Control of pregnancy was an unthinkable concept for many women at the dawn of this technology. No one could have predicted the profound affect this little pill would have on the evolution of health care in American society.

Margaret Sanger a nurse and family planning pioneer is credited with development of a magic pill to control fertility. She blamed her mother’s death at age 50 on the 18 pregnancies she endured in life. After receiving funding from women’s rights advocate Katherine McCormick they convinced research scientist Gregory Pincus to explore the possibilities of such a medication. Mr. Pincus developed the first contraceptive, Enovid, from Mexican yams that proved successful in blocking ovulation. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the pill in 1960 (Kruvard, 2012).

In 1960 the average American woman married at age 20 and had three to four children. Many women secretly wanted to control the spacing between pregnancies or have fewer children. When used correctly the pill was a 99% effective defense against pregnancy, providing a significant improvement over commonly used reversible forms of birth control such as diaphragms, intrauterine devices (IUD’s), condoms, and the rhythm method. Thus, for the first time in history women found themselves in complete control of reproduction. Access to the technology, however, was no easy feat. Married women faced many barriers to access and unmarried women found it nearly impossible to obtain. Unfortunately, within a year of its approval health concerns were reported, including dizziness, headaches, nausea, and life-threatening blood clots (Kruvard, 2012). The pill changed the entire landscape of women’s health care in the United States (U. S.). Effective contraceptive medicine has been demonized, vilified, and exalted over the five decades it has been in existence. However, one indisputable fact remains crystal clear; control of contraception has had a major impact on changes in American health care and societal attitudes toward womens’ rights to that control.
Historical Evolution of Health Care
The impact of contraception on the evolution of American health care is unmistakable. By the 1980s birth control was identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an “essential medicine,” one that met “the priority health care needs of the population.” Birth control was deemed a basic health need for women in their reproductive years. In 1955 more than 50% of American women who used birth control relied upon condoms (27%) and diaphragms (25%). A decade later, only five years after the pill was approved the numbers changed drastically, with 27% of American women using the pill, 18% using condoms, and 10% relying on diaphragms. Use of the pill continued to rise so that 36% of American women were using it by 1973