HUMN 303 Women’s Reproductive Solutions in the 19th Century & Interpret Their Historical & Contemporary Impact Midwives

Midwives played a significant role in women’s healthcare and childbirth, providing a more compassionate and natural approach than male doctors. As Brodsky notes, the rise of obstetrics led to competition between physicians and midwives. While physicians focused on medical interventions and techniques, midwives, often experienced mothers themselves, offered support, comfort, and personalized care during childbirth. They used natural methods and provided nourishment, emotional support, and spiritual guidance to ensure a safe delivery for both the mother and baby (Brodsky, 2008).

Complications during pregnancies and births were prevalent due to various factors such as poor living conditions, inadequate nutrition, and limited access to medical care. In urban areas, where overcrowding and unsanitary conditions prevailed, women faced health issues like rickets and deformities in the pelvis, leading to childbirth complications. Midwives, often the primary caregivers, could only do so much and sometimes had to call barber-surgeons for assistance, even though the procedures were gruesome and carried significant risks. Pain relief options were limited, with opium being rarely used, and there was a lack of understanding of antisepsis, increasing the risk of infections. Women, on average, had multiple children, and the lack of proper postnatal care and support meant they had to resume their daily responsibilities shortly after giving birth, further strained their health and well-being (Brodsky, 2008).

Gynecological Practices

Gynecological practices in the 19th century involved various controversial methods and treatments. Hysteria, a diagnosis attributed to women, was believed to be caused by excessive mental activity. Treatment for hysteria included strict bed rest, isolation from family and friends, and restrictions on reading and writing. In extreme cases, electric chairs were used as a form of stimulation to address sexual repression. If these methods failed, women were often confined to insane asylums. Surgical procedures such as removing ovaries or uterus were performed, particularly on black women and slaves, without their consent. Dr. J. Marion Sims considered the “father of modern gynecology,” conducted experiments on his slaves without anesthesia, claiming their consent despite the inherent power dynamics and lack of accurate agency in such circumstances (Brodsky, 2008).

HUMN 303 Women’s Reproductive Solutions in the 19th Century & Interpret Their Historical & Contemporary Impact

Women’s Rights in the Early 19th Century

In the early 19th century, feminist activists emerged, opposing abortion and advocating for women’s rights. They saw abortion as a means for men to avoid responsibility for pregnancies and viewed it as degrading. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a pioneer activist, strongly opposed abortion, considering it dangerous for women. Concurrently, different birth-control movements emerged in America. The Population Control campaign aimed to decrease the population through sterilization, the Eugenics campaign sought to limit childbirth among the lower class, and the Voluntary Motherhood campaign focused on women’s rights. While the population and eugenics campaigns supported the legalization of contraception, the voluntary motherhood campaign opposed it (Kohn & Holmes, 2000; Gordon).

Contraception in the 19th Century

The campaign against contraception led by physicians and supported by religious institutions resulted in the outlawing of contraception, including abortion. The American Medical Association played a significant role in making contraception a political issue and worked to eliminate midwives. The Comstock Law of 1873 classified birth control materials as obscene, making their distribution a federal crime. By 1899, contraceptives and abortion were illegal throughout the United States. Despite opposition, the use of birth control continued to increase (Gordon, p. 42-44).

HUMN 303 Women’s Reproductive Solutions in the 19th Century & Interpret Their Historical & Contemporary Impact

Feminist Movement in the 19th Century

The 19th-century feminist movement gave rise to the Voluntary Motherhood campaign, advocating for women’s rights and emphasizing the importance of willing mothers. With limited access to regulated and safe birth control, abstinence was promoted as a means of family planning. Before this movement, women had little control over their bodies and were considered property within marriage. The feminist movement aimed to improve women’s status in society and redefine the ideal woman as moral and robust.

Effects of the Civil War’s

During