Includes bibliographical references and index.

I. Historical overview. 1. Types of birth control and their controversies : Natural birth control methods ; Early artificial birth control methods ; Intrauterine devices ; Hormonal-based contraceptives ; Long-acting hormone-based contraceptives ; "Emergency" contraceptives ; Recent innovation and marketing ; Sterilization -- 2. History of birth control: from the American Revolution to World War II : Republican motherhood ; Social science reform ; Temperance and purity movements ; Comstock and contraception ; The progressive era ; Sanger, science and radicalism ; The Town Hall Raid ; The Sanger effect ; Aftermath: before World War II -- 3. Birth control policy since 1945 : Contraceptive research and development ; Population control and Federal policy ; From legalization to public funding ; Humanae Vitae ; Abortion versus birth control ; Funding and culture wars.

II. Contemporary controversies and issues relating to birth. 4. Consumer protection : Original promise for women's health ; Unknown variables ; Birth control and cancer risk ; Incomplete disclosure ; Target markets -- 5. Government policy : Government funding and objectivity ; "Civil rights" or "public health" ; "Family planning" or eugenics ; Long-acting contraceptives and voluntariness ; Voluntariness: doctors and the "conscience clause" ; Other factors: foreign aid, environmentalism, and youth -- 6. Social impact of birth control : Birth control and feminism ; Lack of male contraceptives ; Recent innovations in male contraception ; Environmentalism and birth control ; Feminism and marketing ; Youth appropriateness and advertising ; Birth control and sex education ; Abstinence-only sex education: no birth control ; Birth control access and youth rights ; Pluralism and modern society.

III. Primary documents. A. Early motivations for birth control: part I: science or pornography? : Excerpt from Fruits of Philosophy ; Excerpt from The Book of Nature -- B. Early opposition to birth control: moral temperance or public interference? : Comstock Law of 1873 ; Excerpt from Frauds Exposed -- C. Early motivations for birth control: part II: feminism, radicalism, or public health? : Margaret Sanger's The Woman Rebel ; Excerpt from Family Limitation ; Excerpts from What Every Girl Should Know ; Excerpt from the Sanger-Russell debate on birth control -- D. Supreme Court cases: from public health to civil rights : Excerpt from Buck v. Bell ; Excerpt from United States v. One Package ; Excerpt from Griswold v. Connecticut -- E. Religious reactions: free choice or intrinsic evil? : Excerpt from Humanae Vitae -- F. Birth control as a political issue: is abortion a form of birth control? : Hyde Amendment ; Reagan's Mexico City policy ; President William Clinton's Mexico City policy ; President George W. Bush's policy ; President Barack Obama's policy -- Timeline for birth control issues.