Birth control is a reproductive health regimen consisting of one or more methods, devices and medications intended to reduce or outrightly eliminate the possibility of pregnancy among women. Birth control is one of the key components to a family planning program instituted by governments around the world in order to curb the rising population growth. While mechanisms or programs aimed at reducing the likelihood of fertilization of an ovum by spermatozoon are specifically referred to as contraception.
Contraception differs from abortion since contraception prevents fertilization while the latter terminates an ongoing pregnancy. But while methods of birth control that prevent implantation of the embryo once fertilization sets in are medically considered contraception opponents of these methods label them as abortifacients. Birth control remains a controversial political and ethical issue in many cultures and religions even if it is generally less controversial than abortion.
It is strongly opposed by the Catholic Church though there are varying degrees of opposition. There are those outrightly opposing all forms of birth control short of abstinence while there are those who only support what they consider "natural forms" of birth control. Still others back most forms of birth control that prevent fertilization but stand against any birth control method that prevent a fertilized embryo from attaching to the uterus and initiating a pregnancy.
History of Birth Control
Considered the oldest methods of contraception--aside from sexual abstinence---are coitus interruptus, barrier methods, and herbal abortifacients. Coitus interruptus or withdrawal of the penis from the vagina prior to ejaculation is said to predate any other form of birth control. Once the link between the emission of semen into the vagina and pregnancy was suspected some men began to use this technique to varying degrees of success. Usually however withdrawal is not a reliable method of contraception because few men have self-control to time the withdrawal during intercourse.
There was the belief that pre-ejaculate fluid can cause pregnancy but modern research showed that pre-ejaculate fluid does not contain viable sperm. There are records of Egyptian women using a pessary, a vaginal container made of acidic substances--crocodile dung is rumored to be one of them--and lubricated with honey or oil to eliminate sperm. However the sperm cell was not discovered until scientist Anton van Leeuwenhoek invented the microscope in the late 17th century. Thus methods employed prior to the discovery may not have known how sperm affects conception.
In Asia women supposedly used oiled paper as a cervical cap while European women were using beeswax for this purpose. The condom appeared sometime in the 17th century, initially made of an animal intestine pouch. Though unpopular and ineffective it was employed as a contraceptive tool and prevent the incidence of the-then much feared sexually transmitted disease (STD) syphilis.
Abortifacients
Various abortifacients were used throughout history, although induced abortion was generally not associated ith the term "birth control". Some of them were ineffective while some were not and those that induced abortion had major side effects. One such abortifacient, silphium, was harvested to extinction at the 1st century. The ingestion of certain poisons and/or chemical substances like mercury, arsenic and herbs like tansy and pennyroyal have induced abortion or disruption in the women's reproductive system. A Greek gynaecologist Soranus suggested in the 2nd century that women drink water that blacksmiths used to cool metal.
The levels of active chemicals in pennyroyal and tansy are even high enough to damage the liver, kidneys, and other organs. Still during those times where the risks of maternal death from postpartum complications were high, people apparently cared little for the risks of the side effects of toxic medicines. There are some herbalists who said black cohosh tea is effective as an abortifacient.
Go to Part Two of Getting the Fact on Birth Control
