Puerto Rico and the Pill

In the mid 1900’s Puerto Rico’s population was seen as highly uneducated, extremely impoverished, and overpopulated. It is estimated that approximately one third of Puerto Rican women in reproductive age were sterilized around this time, largely promoted by their doctors without full understanding of the irreversibility of the procedure. In 1955 Gregory Pincus (co inventor of the pill) chose Puerto Rico as the ideal location for human pill trials, considering the overpopulation. The pill contained extremely high dosage of Enovid leading to about 17% of women in the trials reporting adverse symptoms. Additionally, women in the trials were largely unaware of the fact they were in the first human trials of the medication. Puerto Rican women in the trials saw the pill as an opportunity to avoid getting sterilized.
The emergence of women's rights movements in the 60’s and 70’s is largely in thanks to the availability of the contraceptive pill, and the history behind its development is largely unknown.

We will be viewing the film "La Operación" and hosting a discussion panel afterwards. Snacks will be provided.

Committee on US/Latin American Relations Cornell Chapter | Website | View More Events
Co-hosted with: La Asociación Latina, Puerto Rican Student Association, Planned Parenthood Generation Action, Gender Equity Resource Center

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