Broadcasting Birth Control

Interesting new project from comic book author and illustrator Peter Bagge, published by Drawn and Quarterly earlier this week. From the publisher’s website, you can download a preview of the book, which tells the story of Sanger’s first marriage and the catalyst for her work to legalize birth control in just six pages of illustrated narrative! Quite thought-provoking to see her personal and professional life summarized in this way. Also intriguing that the author/publisher chose the moment Sanger always described as inspiring her work – when she apparently witnessed a doctor refuse to tell a woman who had nearly died from an illegal abortion how to prevent future pregnancies – as the one to publicize the comic book. Sanger included the story in her own film about her work, Birth Control (1917), and frequently referenced it to justify her campaign to legalize contraception. Perhaps no coincidence that this justification is again front and center in this latest rendering of the history of the birth control movement and the woman who led it.

At the same time that UK soaps appear to be declining in quality and relevance, the format continues to be used to promote family planning and changes in attitudes towards women around the world. I discuss the Mexican origins of soap operas for social change in my book, but it is interesting to consider the longer history of television soaps as a forum for social issues, as the creator of Britain’s Liverpudlian drama Brookside does in the Guardian this week. UNFPA still has faith in the format, supporting a recent and successful initiative in West Nile along with numerous similar projects for television and radio. In the UK, it seems, any connection between real life and the events depicted seems to have been stretched beyond belief in the fashion for extreme storylines. Perhaps the UK model would benefit from a more realistic focus on the mundane challenges of everyday life?