The Business of Birth Control

It seemed like a miracle: protection against unwanted pregnancy, effective relief against pain and annoying acne – the birth control pill liberated women and their bodies, revolutionising their emancipation. Sixty years later, many are asking themselves: was this even true? Michael and Jane have a different story to tell. They lost their daughter. The cause of death: a hormonal contraceptive. Together with other parents, they are fighting to inform the public of the risks of something that 12 million women in the US take every day. This is bad enough, but activists have also been trying for decades to draw attention to how the pill is distributed to Black and Indigenous women, as it is also a story of racism. But the pharmaceutical industry seems invincible.