Williams, Carol

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Browsing Williams, Carol by Author "University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science"

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    Community, contraception, and controversy: a history of the Lethbridge Birth Control and Information Centre in the 1970s
    (Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of History, 2013) Patton, Karissa R.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science; Williams, Carol
    This honours thesis examines the history of the Lethbridge Birth Control and Information Centre (LBCIC) and the representation and acceptance of it within the community of Lethbridge as well as the Centre’s influence on the local community. The LBCIC represents the wider fight for women’s reproductive rights, acceptance of all sexualities, and women’s equality in the 1970s. This Southern Albertan organization is particularly significant because there is still a regional resistance to accessible contraception and women’s reproductive rights. The purpose of this honours thesis is to fill the historical gap and to educate scholars and citizens of Southern Alberta on this significant history of regional women’s activism. This research illustrates how the community of Lethbridge was divided in terms of social views, mores and acceptance of the services and education provided by LBCIC. The story of the struggle to establish the LBCIC in Southern Alberta enlarges the history of birth control activism in Canada. Moreover, I hope to inspire continued awareness of the importance of women’s reproductive rights through this research. The first chapter, using material from interviews recognizes the organized activism of these five women, and how they raised consciousness about women’s reproductive rights in Lethbridge, and Canadian, society during the 1970s. The first chapter also determines that their advocacy widens the national historical narrative on birth control and women’s reproductive rights activism by including Southern Albertan, rural, and small town activist experiences. The second chapter investigates letters to Lethbridge City Council during the 1974 LBCIC funding controversy, analyzing public declarations of parental authority to argue against the supporters of the LBCIC. Chapter three discusses the eroding boundaries public/private divide posed by birth control debate.