REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Subtitle: REFORMERS & THE POLITICS OF MATERNAL WEL (WOMEN & HEALTH C&S PERSPECTIVE)
Publisher: Ohio State University Press
Published: April 15, 2003
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 196
ISBN-13: 9780814209202
Subjects: Public Policy - Social Policy; Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare; Women's Studies - General; Sociology - General; Social Science; Politics / Current Events; 20th century; History; Maternal and infant welfare; Maternal health services; Reproductive health; United States; Sociology
Description: "In the early twentieth century, maternal and infant health, nutrition, and medical care came under scrutiny, as did the issue of birth control. While the prior gained public support, the latter remained controversial. Though some reformers saw birth control as an important part of maternal welfare, others sought to separate it from more popular reforms. The careers of the four prominent but usually neglected reformers (Elizabeth Lowell Putnam, Ethel Sturges Dummer, Mary Ware Dennett, and Blanche Ames) examined in this book embody the struggle to define and resolve these tensions."

"The study of these reformers offers a new perspective on more recognized leaders in the arena of reproductive health and rights, especially the U.S. Children's Bureau and Margaret Sanger. Putnam's elitism contextualizes the class politics of the Bureau, underscoring its sensitivity to the vulnerable and its innovative approach to public health. Dummer reminds us of roads not taken by policy makers in the Bureau, accentuating the differences between a child-centered and a woman-centered agenda. Dennett highlights the obstacles to women reformers in the formal political sphere, while Ames's penchant toward maternalism and compromise also led to difficulties.

Together, they illustrate the complexities of formulating an effective approach to securing reproductive rights and health."--Jacket.