Abstract
Because the federal government is a major source of funding for contraceptive development, it is useful for women to analyze the government’s priorities. Unlike private agency research or drug company research, American women are providing direct support for contraceptive development through our tax dollars.
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The publication Inventory and Analysis of Federal Population Research (DREW) covers all grants and contracts in which population and contraceptive research constitutes a major category. The Inventory also includes objectives and recommendations for federally funded research. The latest Inventory, available is for fiscal year 1977, includes nine federal agencies, and covers grants and contracts from 1973–1980.
In 1971, the FDA issued a warning to all physicians that the use of DES in pregnancy was linked to a rare form of vaginal and cervical adenocarcinoma in the female offspring. The carcinogenicity (cancer causing ability) of DES and other estrogens has been known for almost four decades. In 1976, evidence from the University of Chicago linked in utero exposure to DES with genital tract abnormalities in the sons. In 1978, the reevaluation of data from the University of Chicago showed an increased risk of breast cancer among DES mothers.
Testimony before the US Senate Subcommittee on Health and Public Welfare, February 27, 1975. Edward Kennedy, Chair.
DHEW no. 77–3138.
Jones, J., L. DelRosario, and A. Soeiro, “Adrenal Function in Patients Receiving Medroxyprogesterone Acetate,” Contraception 10, 1, (1974).
Rosenberg, K., “Human Experimentation.” Health/PAC Bulletin 8, 1979.
In December, 1979, HEW published an announcement that it would fund efficacy studies on the cervical cap. This comes on the heels of testimony by the National Women’s Health Network before the US Senate Health Sub Committee charging FDA with trying to suppress the cap for lack of efficacy data.
FDA Asks Upjohn to Revise Label on Anti-Cancer Drug, Wall Street Journal, June 8, 1979.
Birth Control Shot Gets New Scrutiny, San Francisco Chronicle, June 8, 1979.
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Cowan, B. (1980). Ethical Problems in Government-Funded Contraceptive Research. In: Holmes, H.B., Hoskins, B.B., Gross, M. (eds) Birth Control and Controlling Birth. Contemporary Issues in Biomedicine, Ethics, and Society. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-6005-9_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-6005-9_4
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