Birth Control In Canada

Image of birth control pill in the 19th century

Birth control, also known asa Contraceptives is a way to prevent pregnancy since ancient times. Canada has a unique history when it comes to methods of Birth Control starting back from the 18th century. Though methods of contraception and availability of them have increased to all individuals, even now in the 20th century, not everybody is given or have access to contraception in Canada; such as vulnerable populations, including aboriginal individuals. This is problematic as we can discern from past history; individuals will go through anything to obtain what they want. For example, inducing miscarriages through unhygienic ways, and abortion through illegal abortion clinics to terminate their pregnancy.

History of Birth Control in Canada

Humans has always controlled their own fertility in some way; whether through illegal and unethical methods. Through the 18th, 19th, and 20th century, we can discern advances in technological and hygienic ways of birth control; however it is salient to keep in mind that these evolution came in the expense of "others", such as women of colour, and low socio-economic status. Even through these advances, information of and availability of birth control were not accessible to all individuals, and this can still be seen in Canadian society today.

18th Century

In 18th Century Canada, there was formal condemnation for abortion, however, it was not illegal. Abortion was considered a form of birth control in the 18th century and it was conducted through methods such as Coitus interruptus for prolonging nursing and as a form of birth spacing for parents of children. Furthermore, during the 18th and 19th century, pessaries and vaginal douching were also used in order to prevent contraception. Women seeking to end pregnancies took pills such as Dr. Love's "celebrated pills for suppressed menstruation" in order to induce miscarriages. According to 18th-century people, life did not begin until the child started moving in the stomach; and for this reason, abortion was considered legal and ethical.

19th Century

Still, during much of the 19th Century in Canada, abortion was considered as a form of birth control. The new legislation of the 1892 Criminal Code of Canada made it illegal for people to transmit information about contraception to others and was seen as an immoral action. Under this criminal code, birth control was obscene and it was said that it corrupts morals. It is during this century where diaphragms and cervical caps were developed; however, it was only accessible for wealthy individuals.

The 1950's Rio Piedras Trial was the first large-scale unethical human trial, and; it is a major component in the history of the development of female oral contraception. These trials were conducted in Puerto Rico, where Puerto Rican women were tested on by Gregory Pincus and John Rock. Subjects of this trial were not given information about the study and were given extremely high doses of drug which caused prodigious side effects. The final verdict of this trial was that these birth control pills were 100% effective, but it had "too many side reactions to be generally acceptable". Though the birth control pill is often touted one of the 20th centuries most salient innovations, the pill came at the expense of women of colour. These birth control pills were released onto the open market in Canada starting 1960, however; it was prescribed for "menstrual disorders" specifically only available for married and wealthy women.

1970 photo of a group of women who stands with fists upraised in front of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa

Following World War Two and efforts to legalise contraceptives, the 1892 Criminal Code of Canada was removed in 1969. Moreover, In 1970, activists from the Vancouver Women's Caucus led the abortion caravan which protested against regulations regarding abortion and decriminalising homosexuality. Due to this caravan laws were able to be changed, where under prime minister Pierre Trudeau, the liberal government passed an Omnibus Bill in 1969 that reformed the Criminal Code which decriminalised contraception, legalised consensual homosexual sex, and abortion. However, what is an issue still, is that abortion became legalised but is still inaccessible to many. Through this caravan, exclusionary feminism can be discerned, where it emphasised motherhood, female sex, a heterosexual white women's movement; however, ignored the experiences of women of colour, and intersectionality of different women and their experience were not taken into account.

Nonetheless, the development of the birth control pill and the passing of the Omnibus Bill in 1969 was evolutionary in Canadian history as it transformed society in several ways, such as: Making pre-marital and extra-martial sex safer and more accessible; Separating sex from procreation; Allowing women to enjoy sex and rights for women to have the same sexual freedom; and the development of a culture that celebrates the single life and sexual exploration. The downside of the development and the passing of the Omnibus Bill were such as: Making it difficult for women to say no; responsibility for preventing pregnancy placed on women who bear the brine of the cost; and the negative side effects of the birth control pill.

20th Century

In the 20th century Canada, abortion is no longer considered as a form of birth control, and it is marked by new advanced technological forms of hormonal birth controls such as Intrauterine Device, Ethinylestadiol / Etonogestrel (Nuva Rings), Vasectomy, and Levonorgestral (Commonly known as Plan B). Studies of Canadian women shows that despite various methods of contraception available on the market today, they use a narrow range of contraceptive methods and uses them inconsistently. The most frequently used method of contraception were condoms (54.3%), OCs (43.7%), and withdrawal (11.6%). Furthermore, newer contraceptive methods were used by less than 4%. Consistent contraceptive usage is highly influenced by a number of independent social variables. Thus, future public health initiatives should focus on raising awareness of contraception options, increased access to a variety of contraceptive methods, and assisting with contraceptive adherence.

Birth Control Clinics in Canada

During the 19th century, birth control clinics were established in Canada that focused as a way of providing support and education on sexuality and reproductive rights. However, these clinics that were established were not accessible to all residing in Canada; it excluded those of other vulnerable populations such as the aboriginal population.

SERENA (Service de regulation des naissances)

Banner of Serena Canada

SERENA was established in 1955 through an early grass-root movement in Lachine, Quebec by Gilles and Rita Breault with the aim of teaching "natural methods" such as rhythm as a way of birth control.SERENA is a faith-based group which advocates a largely Catholic perspective on birth control; which educated and taught couples how to take daily body temperature and other salient techniques that were crucial in determining the timing of a woman's ovulation, and when they should and should not engage in sexual intercourse. SERENA is one example of birth control clinics in Canada where it omitted "others" as it was solely based on a Catholic perspective.

Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada

Developed in 1955 by Barbara and George Cadbury, Planned Parenthood Federation of Canada is a non-governmental volunteer organisation whose principal concerns are sexual and reproductive health and rights; focusing on "responsible parenthood" and population education.

Vulnerable Population in Canada

Sexual and reproductive justice recognises that struggles for sexual and reproductive rights must be linked to wider struggles against oppression. It embraces intersectionality and places an individual woman's bodily rights within the wider context of systems (racism, colonisation, globalisation) and structures of power (economy, legal system, criminal justice system) that can limit her ability to have control over her body, define her gender and sexual identity, seek sexual pleasure, and freely decide if, when, and how she wants to have children. A choice is not possible when women, families, and communities are struggling with the legacies of multiple forms of oppression and violence. Furthermore, geographic location is a barrier to the accessibility of birth control pills and abortion services in both Ontario and Quebec; as concentration as providers in southern regions of each province and in urban centres disadvantages women living in northern and rural areas. Moreover, a study reveals that one major drawback for women and transgender individuals is regional and economic situational differences as well; as an analysis of the national survey shows significantly higher odds of no contraceptive use in women who have an annual household income under $100,000 and without higher education. This suggests lack of accessibility for a certain group of the population, and this becomes problematic as 21% of surveyed women in a study had experienced an unintended pregnancy.

Aboriginal Population

Due to the history of past colonisation and the legacies of residential schools, there are high population of aboriginal children in care, myriad of racist attitudes against aboriginal communities and individuals, high number of aboriginal women's and girl's vulnerability to sexual violence, inability to get proper education, and the number of exploitation is high. Economic restructuring and the centralisation of public services in larger / urban population centres means it takes resources and expertise on sexual reproductive health away from smaller Northern communities. Many northern communities are rural, with some accessible only by air. Long distances and high travel costs is one way it prevents these women from obtaining sexual and reproductive health services.

An effort to increase sexual reproductive health can be seen in Yukon's Sexual Health Clinic, opened in October 2014 in Whitehorse. It was created through the hard work of a group of Northern women who recognised that women looking for sexual and reproductive health services and information faced unacceptable challenges. This clinic serves people under the age of forty and is a hub for sexual and reproductive health services. It focuses on several key components such as: building a positive and heightened relationship between health care providers and women; providing an LGBTQ friendly clinic environment; and has evening hours to accommodate all individuals schedules.

Furthermore, some provinces in Canada has created sexual health centres that offer free condoms, contraception counselling, subsidised birth control pills and free Plan B; where Ontario has the best coverage for aboriginal population. However, this is again not true for all provinces, where not all aboriginal individuals are able to get this care; including many where aboriginal women without private insurance, low-income-unemployed, lack of knowledge, fear of birth control pills due to lack to education are still not able to get access to these services. Nonetheless, despite efforts from various quarters to articulate health and social concerns of Canada's marginalised populations, this has clearly not been the case with Aboriginal women, particularly those living in Vancouver; Aboriginal woman living in Vancouver Downtown East Side is still prevalent today. Through this study, we can discern intersectionality between being a woman and being a marginalised individual and the effects it has on these population. Thus, cultural, organisation and systemic transformations are necessary in order to address the deep and ongoing health inequities experienced by aboriginal populations; and these should be rooted and embedded in Indigenous knowledge and should prioritise indigenous voices, values, and concepts. Additionally, implementation of healing places can provide a safe and welcoming space for all aboriginal women, filling the gaps in meeting the need for reproductive and mental health services, to foster awareness of specific issues.

Summary

Attempts by humans to control their own fertility, along with what constitutes as 'birth control' has evolved and changed in Canada since the 18th century. The main idea behind individuals during the 18th century was that life did not begin until the child started moving in the stomach, and; thus abortion was permissible. Followed through the 18th century and 19th century was the idea that abortion is considered as a form of birth control; what we can discern from these time periods is that people have always used contraception. While the introduction of birth control has benefitted and transformed society better for example: Separating sex from procreation, and the development of a culture that celebrates the single life and sexual exploration, we need to pay meticulous attention to the downsides of this transformation and to recognise and take action to the fact that there are vulnerable populations in Canada. In order for Canada to create a society that is much more closer to an Egalitarian society then, will be to address the ongoing health inequities experienced by these population; which are rooted and embedded in their knowledge, values, and concepts. As Kimberle Crenshaw's argument on The Urgency of Intersectionality asserts: The mere experience of being a black woman cannot be understood in terms of being black and of being a woman considered independently; but it must include the interactions, which frequently reinforce each other. Thus, the context and structure can create a vehicle for vulnerability; and it is salient to understand and take an intersectional approach to fix and aid the crux of the issue in any circumstances. Contraceptive methods will never be 100% effective, and human nature will always increase the failure rate, but contraception is a basic preventive health care that should be free and easy to obtain for all individuals.