Spring Break
Women's Studies seminar covers controversial topic
Jamie Smith
Issue date: 9/22/05 Section: Features
The Women's Study Weekly Seminar Series focused on a controversial topic about women's rights to contraception and abortion in a presentation titled "Beyond Choice," Wednesday at noon in Stevenson Hall.
Alex Sanger, the featured speaker, is the grandson of Margaret Sanger and an activist for women's reproductive rights and served as the President of Planned Parenthood of New York.
Sanger spoke about his book, "Beyond Choice: Reproductive Freedom in the Twenty First Century".
"Reproductive rights, abortion rights have been, in my view, the most intensive issue in American cultural history with the possible exception of civil rights issues," Sanger said.
The issue of abortion has been long standing.
"It has been an issue for 200 years, it is not recent," Sanger said.
In historic times, abortion was legal as it is today.
"When our country was founded in 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Abortion was legal in America," Sanger said.
According to the American law, abortion was legal up until four and a half months of pregnancy.
Sanger gave historic information about the controversy about abortion being legal and the court cases and events that took place to change the law.
"It said that a human being was not fully formed and the soul did not enter the body until four and half months of pregnancy," Sanger said.
"Therefore early abortion is not sin, is not murder and is not killing a human being," Sanger said.
Sanger also explained how in the past, some contraceptions were only available for men.
"A physician was permitted to prescribe birth control for cure or prevention of disease. What that meant was that a condom could be given to a man when he went to a prostitute so that that man did not get a disease," he said
"That condom could not legally be prescribed for a man to use with his wife so she would not get pregnant," Sanger said.
"I think it is really interesting how history has led us up to this point and the facts that Mr. Sanger spoke of which are not really known," sophomore women's studies major Kathy Miller said.
Sanger also spoke of other countries and the way that some are dictated to the amount of children they can have.
China allows one child per couple, with some exceptions, Sanger said.
Sanger went on to explain the role his grandmother played in gaining reproductive rights for women and opening the first clinic which offered contraception.
Planned Parenthoods are now located around the country to help women be informed of their rights and what is available for them.
Alex Sanger, the featured speaker, is the grandson of Margaret Sanger and an activist for women's reproductive rights and served as the President of Planned Parenthood of New York.
Sanger spoke about his book, "Beyond Choice: Reproductive Freedom in the Twenty First Century".
"Reproductive rights, abortion rights have been, in my view, the most intensive issue in American cultural history with the possible exception of civil rights issues," Sanger said.
The issue of abortion has been long standing.
"It has been an issue for 200 years, it is not recent," Sanger said.
In historic times, abortion was legal as it is today.
"When our country was founded in 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Abortion was legal in America," Sanger said.
According to the American law, abortion was legal up until four and a half months of pregnancy.
Sanger gave historic information about the controversy about abortion being legal and the court cases and events that took place to change the law.
"It said that a human being was not fully formed and the soul did not enter the body until four and half months of pregnancy," Sanger said.
"Therefore early abortion is not sin, is not murder and is not killing a human being," Sanger said.
Sanger also explained how in the past, some contraceptions were only available for men.
"A physician was permitted to prescribe birth control for cure or prevention of disease. What that meant was that a condom could be given to a man when he went to a prostitute so that that man did not get a disease," he said
"That condom could not legally be prescribed for a man to use with his wife so she would not get pregnant," Sanger said.
"I think it is really interesting how history has led us up to this point and the facts that Mr. Sanger spoke of which are not really known," sophomore women's studies major Kathy Miller said.
Sanger also spoke of other countries and the way that some are dictated to the amount of children they can have.
China allows one child per couple, with some exceptions, Sanger said.
Sanger went on to explain the role his grandmother played in gaining reproductive rights for women and opening the first clinic which offered contraception.
Planned Parenthoods are now located around the country to help women be informed of their rights and what is available for them.