The politics of contraception Photo: Derek Speirs, IFL REE LEGAL CONTRACEPTION

Scan page 8

The politics of no contraception: protest march in Dublin "public opinion" have attacked contraception in general and particularly the Pill.

In fact, less than half the book specifically deals with the polities of contraception -or the "software' as he calls it, following computer terminology.

Detailed

The other aspect, the "hardware" or facts and figures, 1s covered in a much more detailed way.

Dierassi 1 as a scientist ic a member of an elite with access * en D ET FICTATTARAG Djerassi also looks at the distribution of contraception throughout the world -including a very detailed chanter devnted to birth control in China.

When he comes to talk about the "software" Djerassi's analysis is limited by a shallow conception of what constitutes "politics" and by his crusade against all detractors of the Pill.

He lumps together right wing politicians who oppose the Pill because of the independence it brings women, together with IVILISES who nave legitimate feminista mrha worries about its safety -particYet he manages to do this without mentioning the role of multi-national drug' companies in dumping particularly dangerous contraceptives in the name of 'population control' In fact, Djerassi completely accepts the bourgeois argument that population control is a precondition to economic development.

This becomes particularly clear when he goes on to talk about "Strategies for the Future" in which he seriously uscusses (but discards as Ainmaranimpractical proposal for developing a contraceptive that can be added to the water supply!

The question of choice for women (and men) involved is entirely secondary to the "need" to keep down numbers -although he does concede that people should be able to "opt out" of this scheme-eg. by boiling the water!

But it's when we come to the role of drug companies and governmental control of safety standards that Djerassi's perspective becomes completely warped.

His proposal for developing safer, simpler and effective contraceptives boil down to advocating that governmental controls should be eased so that drugs could come to the market quicker.

As the President of the Zoecon Corporation he clearly has an interest in this argument -and even more in his second proposal that companies should be made more or less immune to lawsuits resulting from dangerous side effects to their products!

That the foremost scientist in research into contraception should think this way is hardly comforting for women who are waiting , safer completely effective ways to control their fertility.