Emergency Contraception : The Story of a Global Reproductive Health Technology

Despite its safety and efficacy, emergency contraception (EC) continues to spark political controversy worldwide. In this edited volume, authors explore how emergency contraception has been received, interpreted, and politicized, through the in-depth examination of the journey of EC in 16 individual countries. Worldwide, more than one fourth of all pregnancies are unintended. Emergency contraception, which could lower this number, continues to spark political controversy worldwide. In this edited volume, authors explore how emergency contraception has been received, interpreted, and politicized. Through the in-depth examination of the journey of EC in 16 countries, chapters in this book reveal the ways that a global reproductive health technology is inflected with local cultural meaning and simultaneously influenced by challenges that condition the introduction of a new technology "Globally, more than one fourth of all pregnancies are unintended. Emergency contraception can be used after sex to reduce the risk of pregnancy. But despite their safety and efficacy, emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) have sparked controversy worldwide. In examining the journey of ECPs in fourteen countries, this volume explores the ways that a global reproductive health technology both acquires local cultural meaning and encounters similar challenges everywhere it is introduced worldwide. This book's portraits of activism and opposition highlight the range of social, cultural, religious, and political contexts that shape the interpretation of new medical technologies"--Provided by publisher