The Doctors' Case Against The Pill

by Barbara Seaman

A collection of case histories substantiate a report on the dangers of oral contraceptives

Genres: Nonfiction, Health, Feminism

258 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

One of the most tireless health advocates, Barbara Seaman (1935-2008) was co-founder of the National Women's Health Network, and a pioneer in a new style of health reporting that focused on patient rights. Her groundbreaking investigative book, The Doctors' Case Against the Pill (1969), prompted Senate hearings in 1970 that led to a warning label on oral contraceptives and the drastic lowering of estrogen doses due to dangerous health effects. Well received by a mass audience, Seaman was a columnist and contributing editor at Bride's Magazine, Ladies' Home Journal, Family Circle, and Ms. Magazine. She also contributed to the New York Times, Washington Post, Newsday, and others.

Books

* The Doctor's Case Against the Pill (1969)
* Free and Female (1972)
* Women and the Crisis in Sex Hormones (1977)(with Gideon Seaman, M.D.)
* Lovely Me: The Life of Jacqueline Susann (1987)
* The Greatest Experiment ever Performed on Women: Exploding the Estrogen Myth (2003)
* For Women Only: Your Guide to Health Empowerment with Gary Null (2000).

Contributor to many books, including:

* Career and Motherhood (1979)
* Rooms with No View (1974)
* Women and Men (1975)
* Seizing our Bodies (1978)

Contributor to several plays and documentaries, including:

* I am a Woman (1972)
* Taking Our Bodies Back (1974)
* The American Experience Presents the Pill (2003)

Reviews

[Keri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book from the library shortly after my doctor told me I'd have to quit taking the pill because of sudden-onset hypertension. The science is a little outdated (after all, it was published 14 years ago), but the information goes right along with the things my cardiologist is telling me. It would have been really nice to have this information in my hands 10 years ago when I started taking the pill - maybe I would have made a different decision for my health.

[George く⁠コ⁠:⁠彡 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this book in the library while browsing for potential sources of research for a paper last semester. "Case against the Pill" had stuck out to me because of the negative connotation, and I always enjoy poking around in counter-arguments, so I picked it up. My expectation of this book was something full of Christian nonsense, coupled with social implications as to why women (and others with a uterus) should not be on the b.c. pill. To my surprise, this book was chock full of medically proven, negative side effects of the early birth control pill, coupled with interviews from people on the pill, or even the husbands of women who had died from complications with the pill. I later learned that Seaman's book launched a federal court case pertaining to health and safety surrounding the birth control pill.
I leaned on this book to prove how dangerous early versions of the pill were for people with a uterus, to help highlight the absurdity of the reasoning we're now given for a lack of hormonal b.c. for a person with a penis.
I think this book is a great source; it's easy to read, nicely and clearly sectioned off into palatable chapters, and leans not only on statistics but on word-of-mouth retellings of the negative side effects people experienced on the pill, which is known to be a historically feminist and matrilineal way to convey information.
While it is a great source for research, I wouldn't point to it as a cheery casual read. If you're looking for something more contemporary, I would recommend Krystal E. Littlejohn's Just Get on the Pill .

[Cherie · Rating 2 out of 5]

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