-New moms: Carry around your placenta (all the cool kids are doing it)!
-Men fake orgasms too.
-Oh, those silly Victorians!
-Unpublished D.H. Lawrence manuscript reveals contempt for 1920s misogyny.
-Origami condoms.
-A pictorial of 1940s teenage culture.
-Worst male underwear ever.
As an historian of science and medicine, I am always interested in both the histories of and the latest innovations in genetic and reproductive technologies. It is unbelievable how far we’ve come in such a relatively short period of time. These technologies are usually met with a mixture of awe and fascination or resistance and fear—it seems as if sometimes we are witnessing a glimpse into the future, yet it is actually happening in the here and now. I recently came across an article that actually made me stop and say, “Wow, really?” It’s about research into a new reproductive technology, but before I get to it, I want to do a brief background of revolutionary reproductive and genetic technologies that have sparked some intense ethical and moral debates. Specifically, three groundbreaking developments which have women/gender at their very core. Three developments that, as they were occurring, perhaps seemed like they were only futuristic, fantastic things that could never really happen . . . until they did.
In an effort to show links between reproductive justice and environmental justice, the Reproductive Health Technologies Project (RHTP) is “calling all young people” to check a presentation on “Sex, Synthetics, and Sustainability,” on April 10 at 4:30 EST. The presentation will feature representatives from the the Sierra Club Global Population & Environment Program, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, and Women’s Voices for the Earth, and special guest Stefanie Weiss, author of Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable. Now, as I’ve written elsewhere, this isn’t the first time that birth control activists have reached out to young people by appealing to their interest in protecting the environment.
-How to mold a perfect wife circa 18th century (Hint: it doesn’t end well).
-The first man held in the Boston stocks was the guy who built them.
-18 Mad Men anachronisms.
-Wanna get a divorce? You may have to wait two years.
-Famous sex toys go up for auction.
-21 super creepy vintage Easter cards.
-Sylvia Plath wrote a delightful children’s book.
-Photos of famous authors as teenagers.
-What time of year is best for baby-making?
-Lady magazine trolling via 1939.
-Bill Gates wants you to have a condom that feels really good.
-15 awesome photos from a 1970s Gay Rights protest.
-American Academy of Pediatrics supports same-sex marriage.
-A new film documents Black Power and Feminism.
-The British women who voted before it was legal.
-Guitar production continued during WWII – thanks to women.
-Newly-found Oscar Wilde letter.
-One step closer to 3-person IVF.
-Hippies worshipped Satan, smelled bad (according to voucher schools in Louisiana).
-Little House, alcohol, and gendered respectability.
-The immortal, shattered cells of Henrietta Lacks.
-Epidemiologist’s advice: Be afraid of your food.
-It’s been 45 years since the My Lai massacre.
-Remember when America was female?
-Will Jack Johnson finally be pardoned from his Mann Act conviction?
-A disabled feminist talks back.
-A look inside the Hull House exhibit.
-Hysteria and modern medicine.
-The 16-Inch Waist Of Émilie Marie Bouchaud.
Did you know that Nursing Clio has an awesome Facebook page? Well we do! Even more exciting (and we know you are excited), in honor of Women’s History Month, Nursing Clio will be honoring a different woman everyday during the month of March on our Facebook page. These women, both sung and unsung, have all made significant impacts, not only in the field of medicine, but in the times and places in which they lived, loved, and worked. Here is what you may have missed so far:
-Using your sperm in a grad school art project is probably not a good idea.
-Which area of the U.S. has the highest HIV infection rates? (Hint: The same region that lacks adequate sex education curriculum).
-The Holocaust just got more shocking.
-Screw the stereotype: Why feminists need to stay angry.
-A love letter between two WWII soldiers.
-Battered skulls reveal Stone-Age women lived in a violent world.
When our Patreon gets to $500/month, we’ll be able to compensate our writers. This has been a long-term goal of Nursing Clio; now you can help us reach it! If you enjoy our content, support us and our writers by becoming a member of our Patreon.