Overview
Early birth control
People have always looked for ways to have sex without getting pregnant. In the 1800s, New Zealanders used withdrawal, douching, having sex at supposedly ‘safe’ times in the cycle, and barriers such as sea sponges. Most were far from effective.
Birth control was taboo. In 1910, printed material containing the word ‘contraception’ was officially deemed obscene. When venereal disease was rife among soldiers in World War I, campaigner Ettie Rout struggled to convince authorities to issue condoms.
Despite these attitudes, more reliable methods like the diaphragm soon appeared – for those who could afford them.
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