Choice or Coercion: The Biography of Norplant

Author: Justina Licata

Norplant was the first subdermal implantable contraceptive device. It consisted of six silicone rubber rods filled with a hormone. When it was inserted under the skin of a woman's arm, Norplant prevented pregnancies for up to five years. This podcast examines Norplants history, and more specifically the way governmental institutions used the contraceptive device to control certain populations of womens bodies.
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Language: en

Genres: History

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Episode Four: The Welfare Incentive Proposals
Episode 5
Thursday, 4 June, 2020

This episode examines state lawmakers’ efforts to implement programs that would pay welfare recipients to use Norplant. The politicians proposing these programs argued that no woman would be pressured into choosing Norplant. Conversely, reproductive justice activists maintained that paying poor women to choose one contraceptive over another took the choice out of their decision. This episode also features some of my conversation with the reproductive justice activist, Brandi Collins-Calhoun.