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The feminist appropriation of pregnancy testing in 1970s Britain.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Olszynko-Gryn, Jesse 

Abstract

This article restores pregnancy testing to its significant position in the history of the women's liberation movement in 1970s Britain. It shows how feminists appropriated the pregnancy test kit, a medical technology which then resembled a small chemistry set, and used it as a political tool for demystifying medicine, empowering women and providing a more accessible, less judgmental alternative to the N.H.S. While the majority of testees were young women hoping for a negative result, many others were older, menopausal women as well as those anxious to conceive. By following the practice of pregnancy testing, I show that, at the grassroots level, local women's centres were in the vanguard of not only access to contraception and abortion rights, but also awareness about infertility and menopause.

Description

Keywords

grassroots activism, medical technology, NHS, pregnancy testing, Women’s Liberation Movement

Journal Title

Womens Hist Rev

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0961-2025
1747-583X

Volume Title

Publisher

Informa UK Limited
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (1360)
Wellcome Trust (088708/Z/09/Z)
Wellcome Trust (Grant IDs: 106553 and 088708)