Dr. Hania Ris's Contribution to Wisconsin's Contraceptive Legislation
Abstract
Although a large amount of media attention is currently focused on women's
reproductive health issues, most Wisconsinites are unfamiliar with their state's
conservative history in the area of contraceptive accessibility. This paper focuses
on Wisconsin legislation during the 1960s and 1970s that did not allow distribution
of birth control to minors or the unmarried. The work of Dr. Hania Ris, which is
unbeknownst to many, is the primary emphasis of my research. My thesis was
formulated after searching through the copious amounts of archival materials that Ris
made available in the Wisconsin Historical Society. Newspaper archives were also
utilized to underscore the local and national impact of Ris and the work that is detailed
in her records. Together, these materials provide a glimpse into one piece of Ris's
activism and demonstrate how important she is in Wisconsin's history of birth control
politics.
Subject
Birth control
Hania Ris
Contraception
Reproductive rights
Permanent Link
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/70969Citation
Volume VII, December 2012, pp. 67 - 82