In other words, their concerns about the pill have nothing to do with traditional sexual ethics. Most of the interviewees speak in favor of a woman’s right to sexual autonomy and freedom from unwanted pregnancy. How? Lake and Epstein have a simple strategy: Support birth control but criticize the pill.

For conservatives, all birth control is wrong and harmful for liberals, all birth control is liberating and necessary.īut surprisingly, The Business of Birth Control finds a place where both sides could meet in the middle and at least begin a conversation. After all, as one interviewee points out, the stances surrounding birth control could not be farther apart. And whether the directors meant to or not, it also raises questions about a culture fixated on birth control at all costs.Ī documentary about such a controversial topic easily could have championed the agenda of one political camp while alienating another. In a compilation of interviews with doctors, authors, and affected women and families, the film weaves together experiences of people working to increase awareness and understanding about the health risks of the pill, which has made pharmaceutical companies billions while costing some women their lives.Īlthough the film limits itself to the medical concerns surrounding birth control, it raises a topic of conversation that pop culture too often shoves aside: that we need to think twice about the pill. Inspired by the book Sweetening the Pill by Holly Grigg-Spall, Lake and Epstein (who also collaborated on the 2008 documentary The Business of Being Born) examine the unreported side effects of hormonal contraception, including anxiety, depression, blood clotting, and other conditions that have been debilitating for many women - and in some cases fatal. Since it hit the markets in the 1960s, “the pill” - no adjective required - has been hailed as a miracle, promising women control over their sexual lives without consequence.īut as it turns out, that miracle came with a price.

“And the pill may change the world tomorrow,” she sings, “but meanwhile, today … / One needs a spankin’ and one needs a huggin’ / Lord, one’s on the way.”Īccording to filmmakers Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein’s new documentary The Business of Birth Control,* which premiered this month at the DOC NYC film festival, about 12 million American women use hormonal contraception, and about 80 percent will use it at some point in their lives. In Loretta Lynn’s 1971 country song “ One’s on the Way,” a busy mother reflects on her life, drowning in children while celebrity women enjoy glamorous lives.

Holly grigg spall