Down to Birth #168 | The Business of Birth Control with Abby Epstein: The Importance of Safety, Autonomy and Informed Consent
The Business of Birth Control is a new documentary directed by Abby Epstein and produced by Ricki Lake, who achieved international acclaim for their revolutionary 2008 film, "The Business of Being Born". Abby joins us today to discuss why she and Ricki made their new film, which boldly shines a light on some of the severe side effects that accompany hormonal birth control, including death -- and the fact that congress, and the pharmaceuticals who make the pill, have long known about these adverse outcomes and have done nothing about it. Most disturbing of all, even though women have gathered, protested and demanded a safer and better-quality pill since the 1960s when these side-effects became known, there has been absolutely no advance in technology nor any improvement in safety standards in decades. In fact, the majority of the budget is allocated toward marketing and advertising. And while most bereaved families have been gagged in exchange for financial settlements, in the film we meet the parents of those who refused and who are demanding change.
Did you know a full fifty-percent of women who go on the pill come off it due to side effects? This only drives up the risk of unwanted pregnancies. We also discuss the lack of informed consent and unnecessary risks taken with women and young, prepubescent girls, who are encouraged to go on the pill to clear up acne.
Abby gives us an insider's look into how the film is spun in the media as controversial and is mischaracterized as "anti-birth control" when the opposite is true: The Business of Birth Control is overt in its demand for safer birth control and more education; and, for those who wish to come off the pill, it seeks to empower women to understand their fertility cycles so they can choose the birth control that's safest and most effective for them. Abby and Ricki have been on a busy media tour and we're so grateful they came on the Down to Birth Show to invite us into this important conversation regarding women's health, choice, autonomy and consent.
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