A Brief History of Reproductive Health and Rights in the Western World
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(latest revision, March 2005)
 
 
Timeline from 6,000 BC to Today!

 
   
This is working document. Your comments, edits and critiques are welcomed and can be sent to ccrosser@C2Strategies.com.

This document is not meant as a detailed or perfect historical representation, or as an academic, scholarly, research paper.

It is meant to provide a general historical perspective of reproductive health and rights that might be used for orientation, education or simply as entertainment.

You are invited and encouraged to research the subject areas of interest.

Much of this document was put together from the Internet, reading books and articles, and information received from colleagues.

Every attempt has been made to use credible sources.

Acknowledgements:

The idea of a historical timeline was introduced while working on a project for Development Systems, Inc. of Kansas City, MO. The project was their Orientation to Family Planning. (http://www.devsys.org/, 816-561-5050).

This document is being presented to participants of an orientation to family planning audio conference presented by the Health Education & Training Center of Indianapolis, IN (http://www.hcet.org/, 317-247-9008).

Hoy Thompson, nerd extraordinaire first presented the layout for this document.

Thanks to Candace Covington, Jan Shepherd, Krista Haapala and Deb Arnold for reviewing and adding their suggestions for improvements.

A special thanks for edits goes to Chuck Marquardt, Lead Program Trainer, EPA Division, California Family Health Council, Inc. He helped make this document look good and easy to read.

Thanks to Laura Mentch for providing more information on Our Bodies, Ourselves. And to Cathy Harrt, RN, CNM, MS for midwifery history.

Thanks to my web master, Jeff Hicks (http://www.jhwebd.com), for doing his magic on the C2 Strategies web site with this document.

Thanks for materials from the web sites. If you see anything I did not credit, contact me and I will credit or remove.


Copyright 2003-2005 C2 Strategies (v. 032105)
You are welcomed to make copies of this document, please acknowledge C2 Strategies.

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End notes, references and resources:
1. Potts, Malcolm and Shorts, Roger, Ever Since Adam and Eve - the evaluation of human sexuality. Cambridge University Press, 1999.
2. McLaren, Angus, Reproductive Rituals, The Perception of Fertility in England form the Sixteenth to the Nineteenth Century (Methuen, London, 1984)
3. Planned Parenthood Federal of American, http://www.plannedparenthood.org/articles/condomhistory.html
4. The History of Nursery Rhymes, http://www.simpletoremember.com/what/nurseryryhmeshistory.htm (author's name is not provided, but do want to give credit - a wonderful story).
5. Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, NARAL Supreme Court Decisions Concerning Reproductive Rights, NOW Archives, Planned Parenthood Roe v. Wade Timeline
6. The History of the Chastity Belt, http://www.chastity-uk.co.uk/History.htm
7. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft, http://eserver.org/feminism/history/wollstonecraft-vindication.txt
8. Women in the Year …, http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/women1000.html
9. On fertility symbols:OSTARA - Spring Equinox - March 20 http://www.nobleknights.com/~eagle1/eostre1.htm. Good information on symbols and how Christianity has used ancient symbols, such as Easter. Most "every other Christian religious holiday is rich with an abundance of Pagan overtones, customs and traditions".
10. Witches and women healers: Salem witch trials, http://www.salemweb.com/guide/witches.shtml
11. Absolutely Fantasy Art, http://www.absolute-fantasy-art.com/history-witches.html
12. Witches, midwives and nurses - a history of women healers, by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English, http://www.blancmange.net/tmh/articles/witches.html
13. Witchcraft, photo and information http://www.rotten.com/library/occult/witchcraft/

Notes Time line: Please note that B.C. is commonly known as "before Christ". A.D. is a Latin phrase, anno Domini, which means "in the year of our Lord". Recently, some world scholars and archaeologists have been using the terms Before Common Era (B.C.E.) and Common Era (C.E.). This is in respect to other world religions (non-Christianity). These abbreviations are used in this document along with B.C. and A.D. I chose not to use these, but wanted to acknowledge these terms.

Christy Crosser