Legal Definitions - contraceptivism

Contraceptivism was a historical legal term referring to the criminal offense of distributing or prescribing contraceptives. In jurisdictions where such laws existed, individuals involved in providing birth control methods could face legal penalties.

Contraceptivism

Historically, contraceptivism referred to the criminal offense of providing or prescribing methods of birth control. This term describes a period when laws in certain jurisdictions made it illegal for individuals, often medical professionals or pharmacists, to distribute, sell, or medically recommend contraceptives, subjecting them to criminal prosecution.

• Imagine a pharmacist in the early 20th century operating in a state where anti-contraception laws were strictly enforced. If this pharmacist were to sell a package of condoms or a diaphragm to a married customer, they could be charged with contraceptivism. The act of "distributing" these contraceptive devices, even for private use, would have been considered a criminal offense under such historical statutes.

• Consider a physician practicing medicine during a time when laws prohibited the dissemination of birth control information and devices. If this doctor were to examine a patient and then write a prescription for a spermicidal jelly or advise on a specific barrier method for family planning, they would be committing the offense of contraceptivism. Their professional act of "prescribing" or medically advising on contraception would have been illegal.