The Politics of the Pill

In The Politics of the Pill, Rachel VanSickle-Ward and Kevin Wallsten tell the story of contemporary birth control policy and the role that women played in it.

First, they chart the twists and turns of a fascinating, controversial and consequential policy debate.

Second, they use their analysis of contraception politics as a vehicle for identifying more generally the position of women in the public sphere and the influence that gender exerts across policy-making and media venues.

Chapter 1: Introduction; Part I - Policy; Chapter 2: The History of the Pill; Chapter 3: Contraception Coverage Policy in the States; Chapter 4: Contraception Coverage Policy in Congress; Chapter 5: Contraception Coverage in the Courts; Part II - Media and Public Opinion; Chapter 6: Media Sourcing; Chapter 7: Media Frames; Chapter 8: Public Opinion; Chapter 9: Experiment - Frames and Public Opinion; Chapter 10: Conclusion; Appendix A: Coding Terms for Frames in Legislative and Judicial Deliberation; Appendix B: Amicus Briefs; Appendix C - Sample Treatment Article for Authorship and Sourcing Experiment; Appendix D - Sample Treatment Articles for Framing Experiment; Appendix E - Mechanical Turk Sample Characteristics; Works Cited