The American Birth Control Movement - Free Essay Example

Humans have been practicing forms of contraception or birth control since ancient times. Some of the earliest records of this are in Ancient Egypt, 1850 BC, where they used a mixture of honey, acacia leaves and lint to block sperm in the vagina. Traditional forms of contraception have varied greatly throughout human history, but can be defined as the deliberate use of artificial methods or other techniques to prevent pregnancy as a consequence of sexual intercourse. Modern day contraceptive methods include hormonal methods (the pill, patch, Nuvaring), barrier methods (condoms diaphragms), IUDs (copper hormonal inserts), natural methods (abstinence withdrawal), emergency contraception (plan B pill) and abortion.. The American birth control movement specifically began in 1914, and intended to make contraception more accessible to the American people through education and legalization. The legalization of birth control and abortion in the US has been has been extremely controversial, bringing to light many heavily weighted moral questions. Some of these questions being, what is the place of women in society? Does life begin at conception? Is access to birth control a human right? These questions are still up for debate today, with religion, culture and social status contributing to peoples differing opinions and arguments. Medical advancements such as the hormonal birth control pill in the 50s 60s began to change the role of women in American society, with many more women able to attend and graduate college. Linda Gordon described birth control as a major factor in the development of womens sexuality in her book The Moral Property of Women: A History of Birth Control and Politics in America. She also expressed, contraception promised the final elimination of womens only significant biological disadvantage. (The capacity to reproduce is not a disadvantage, but lack of control over it is.) This, to me, is a profound idea. That women began to make the ascent from second class citizen to first class citizen, all because they gained the ability to control when or if they became pregnant. As the early 1900s feminists began to push for accessible contraceptives, many people pushed back. Sex was commonly viewed as something only for reproduction, and not for pleasure. Sexual matters were not discussed in public politics, only in private. Linda Gordan explains that this mentality came to be because of agricultural development. As human beings made the transformation from nomadic hunters gatherers to farmers, children became an asset rather than a liability. The larger the family, the more people to work on the farm. However, infant mortality was high at this time, so women had to birth more babies than actually needed. This led to the overall idea that women have a divine obligation to motherhood and the family. After all, this need for constant reproduction did not last. Medical advancements have led to the decrease in infant mortality, and urbanization has made children more of an expense than a resource. This unfortunately began to cause an increase in self-induced a nd unsafe abortions in the early 1900s, specifically among lower income women. Emma Goldman, Mary Dennett, and Margaret Sanger led a group of political radicals in New York City, who aimed to legalize contraceptives in order to prevent these unsafe abortions. Margaret Sanger even opened the first clinic for female contraceptives in 1916, but the police immediately shut it down and she served 30 days in jail. The public began to develop an interest in the birth control conversation after World War 1, when many soldiers came home infected with STDs and STIs. Finally, sexual health became a matter that could be discussed in politics, not just in private. As the publics attitude toward birth control changed, Sanger was able to successfully reopen her contraceptive clinic in 1923. In 1942 Planned Parenthood was formed, opening a network of birth control clinics all across the country. The development of the hormonal birth control pill in the 50s changed American life in many ways. It has brought about economic benefits, causing one-third of the female wage gains from the 60s through the 90s. The teenage pregnancy rate has also been effected, with a steady decline from the 50s until now. Like I previously mentioned, womens accessibility to education has skyrocketed, with only 8% of women being college graduates in the 70s, to 35% of women being college graduates today. With the ability to have sex without producing children, people are now dating more in their early 20s and getting married later, and divorce rates have gone down. Although the benefits of modern contraceptives are seemingly endless, the right to access birth control in the US is still being threatened. In May of this year, 2018, the Trump Administration proposed a reform to the Title X grant program, which provides funding for Planned Parenthood. It was proposed that any clinic that preforms or refers women for abortions would no longer be eligible for government funding. The major problem with this is that Planned Parenthood not only provides abortions, they also prescribe birth control, provide cancer screening and protection, offer pregnancy testing and prenatal services, and provide both men and women with STD testing and treatments, regardless of whether or not you have health insurance. Abortion services only made up 3% of the services Planned Parenthood preformed for the community in 2013 and 2014. It is vital that we defend Planned Parenthood and the right to access affordable contraceptives. History has shown us that access to birth c ontrol has only ever increased our quality of life, increased womens access to education, and decreased the number of self-preformed and dangerous abortions. Overall, society is bettered by access to sexual education and contraceptives, and we must protect this right.

2017 Top 40 Undergraduate Professors Thomas Smith, Emory University (Goizueta)

2017 Top 40 Undergraduate Professors: Thomas Smith, Emory University (Goizueta) by: Andrea Carter on September 18, 2017 | 0 Comments Comments 1,402 Views September 18, 2017Thomas More SmithAssociate Professor in the Practice of FinanceEmory University, Goizueta Business SchoolIt’s been said that economist, Tom Smith, has essentially made a career out of knowing everything there is to know about everything. This jack of all trades, master of them all is an established expert in various facets of economics including: urban and real estate economics, sports economics, labor economics, and others. As such, he’s frequently sought after by mainstream press on everything from the economic impact of recent hurricane Harvey to the economics of a new Toyota plant coming to Georgia. As it turns out, one of Goizueta Business School’s most sought after experts is also one of the most beloved professors by undergraduate students. â€Å"An absolutely amazing lecturer†, â€Å"An incredibly interesting teacher,† and â€Å"The coolest professor at Emory† reflect some of what students think of him.Age: 48At current institution since: 2008Education: Ph.D. Economics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 1998;  MA, Economics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 1994;  BA , Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, IL 1992List of courses currently teaching: Sports Finance, business economics, film finance, international trade, and finance for non-business studentsFun fact about yourself: I’m named after Thomas More, former chancellor of England. I was also a professional musician on the bass (electric and upright). I was asked to play the bass in the movie Groundhog Day but I had to pass because I was finishing my econometrics take-home final. I know, it’s the same old story of economics getting in the way of a budding movie career.â€Å"I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My dad was an English professor and I knew I wanted to be a professor. But I really I liked math so business school seemed like a good way to go. â€Å"If I weren’t a business school professor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I would be doing data analytics for the Chicago Cubs. I don’t know if they would hire me but, in a perfect world, that’s my fallback job.â€Å"One word that describes my first time teaching† â€Å"Echo-y†. I taught in one of those large, lecture halls that had concrete floors and an industrial vibe. What do you enjoy most about teaching undergraduate business students? Their questions. Undergrads are curious. I love that part of the experience. What is the biggest challenge that comes with teaching undergraduate business students? Time. I never have enough time in an hour and half class. It’s a limitation of teaching any subject but, for me, it’s not having enough time to interact with the students in a way I’d lik e to and – frankly – the way they deserve. I have a ton of students come to my office hours, but still, never enough time. What is the most impressive thing one of your undergraduate students has done? My first semester one of my undergraduates (Adam Hamberg) started a local chapter of   a non-profit that decorates bedrooms for kids with chronic illnesses. Kids that would be in the hospital for 6, 8, 10 weeks at a time receiving treatment would get their rooms decorated in a theme like a baseball room – So the kid could come home and recuperate in a fun space. That’s only one example of tons of awesome stuff my students are doing I’m always amazed by what my students do outside the classroom.What is the least favorite thing one has done? One year I had a really impressive student I asked to be one of my teaching assistants. She said she would love to except for the fact she had all these responsibilities as Miss America (Kirsten Haglund). I†™m like â€Å"What? You would choose your Miss America duties over being a TA?† Of course I’m joking. She was very smart and would have been an amazing TA!What does a student need to do to get an A in your class? Definitely read all the lecture notes and label your graphs, label your graphs, label your graphs.â€Å"When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as †¦Ã¢â‚¬  A little crazy because I can be pretty strict. I’m looking for specific things. I give partial credit, so I’m lenient, but students can get frustrated because I look for more granular stuff. â€Å"But I would describe myself as †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Energetic, enthusiastic, generous dude.   What are your hobbies? Playing music, fly fishing, or whatever my kids are doing at that time.How did you spend your summer? I have a pool in my backyard so my kids and I do a ton of swimming.Favorite place to vacation: Cancun and Cayman Islands†¦ Really any place with water w here I can do some snorkeling. Favorite book: Into Thin Air by Jon KrakauerFavorite movie and/or television show: Being There, with Peter Sellers; Million Dollar Listing, New YorkFavorite type of music and/or favorite artist: Twenty One Pilots, Panic at the Disco, Bruno Mars, Britney Spears, the Police, Yes. I know, it’s a weird mix. My kids listen to a lot of music and I try to stay interested in what they are listening to†¦and you just have to love Sting and Chris Squire if you’re into bass.Bucket list item #1: Fly fish out in Utah, Montana, or anywhere with some serious trout.What professional achievement are you most proud of? Last year my undergraduates voted me as the distinguished professor of the year. Emory is filled with amazing professors, so being a choice of students was pretty shocking and definitely a great honor. What is your most memorable moment as a professor? Last year Collin McHugh from the Houston Astros came in to talk to my sports finance c lass and the students were charged with building a model to estimate his value as part of his contract agreement. He came back and listened to my students present their models and my students totally knocked it out of the park. To see Collin McHugh, a professional athlete, taking notes during your student’s presentations was awesome†¦ It’s pretty frickin’ cool. Professor you most admire and why: JB Kurish and I have an interesting connection through the universe. He was my mentor in terms of becoming a teacher when I was going through grad school. Then, when I took a position with UIC, he again become a mentor. He left for Emory and   called me up and said he wanted me to apply for an opening. He’s a master teacher and has been a huge influence.   I admire his ability to connect with students in a genuine and caring way.What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery youve made from it? I write some popular press pie ces about micro and macro-economics. I wrote a piece about wage inequalities and female soccer players published in Time. I got a lot of feedback and had a great time interacting with people in the industry. Clearly I didn’t discover anything that wasn’t already known, but perhaps the article generated some more discussion about an important topic. Earnings differentials across genders and races is an important area of research. Twitter handle: @thomasmoresmithâ€Å"If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I would love to see more females and underrepresented minorities in the classroom. â€Å"And much less of this† Much less of a narrowed focus. I would love my students to have a more holistic view of things in general. Looking ahead 10 years from now, describe what â€Å"success† would like for you: If I have students come back and tell me that things they learned in the classroom helped them at thei r job or in life. But, outside of that, success would be the Cubs winning a few more championships. I’ve also always wanted to own a Porsche 911†¦no craziness here, these are obtainable dreams. Page 1 of 11