Ideas and Inventions Revolutionize Life

Ideas and Inventions Revolutionize Life!!

Be it the Telephone or the Internet, which has changed the way we communicate. Or the Railroad or the Airplane, which has changed the way we travel.

But can the same be said about something which prevents the very creation of life? Can prevention of procreation revolutionize the lives of existing individuals?

The idea in question is "The Birth Control Pill"

And the answer is a resounding Yes.

It has been 50 years since "The Pill" was invented and the U.S. FDA approved it sale for the mass public.

Read this CNN blog, which shares the opinion of several public personalities - on how the pill influenced the lives of people.

Some excerpts are listed below - just because they highlight the social effects, the social benefits which the pill offered.

Letty Cottin Pogrebin
Critics warned that The Pill would spawn generations of loose, immoral women; what it spawned was generations of empowered women who are better equipped to make rational choices about their lives. It allowed women to become autonomous decision-makers rather than captives of our biology.

Raquel Welch
By the early 60's The Pill had made it easier for a woman to delay having children until after she established herself in a career.

Claudia Goldin
The Pill was a great "enabler." With The Pill, large numbers of college women could embark on careers that involved long-term, up-front time commitments in education and training as physicians, lawyers, veterinarians, managers, and academics, among others. The Pill fostered women's careers by effectively lowering the costs of training.
 

Hugh Hefner
Historically, church and state took the position that the only moral purpose of sex was procreation.It [the Pill] separated sex and procreation and gave women control over their bodies.

Needless to say, this medical invention has had an life altering impact across various strata of the society - across the world.

However, if this news article is to be believed, the pill has not had its desired impact in India.

The National Family Health Survey-3 statistics reveal that just 49% of Indian women use modern contraception such as the pill and IUDs. Of the 49%, just 3.1% use the pill.

A possible reason for this is :

The average [Indian] woman is not suited for the pill; she is hungry, she is anemic and has an extremely low BMI. Above all, she has no access to medical care. 

And same is the case with China - read about it here.

The Pill was called as the invention that defined the 20th Century. Hope it defines the 21st Century too - and makes its impact more profound, widespread and useful - cutting across social barriers.