VICE has just published a piece on the misogynist, deeply racist origins of hormonal birth control, and it is a fairly amazing read.
Cited at the top of the article and also worthy of some attention is the Danish study, published in psychiatric journal JAMA, showing concrete correlation between the use of hormonal birth control and diagnoses of clinical depression in users, particularly in adolescent girls. There has been an outpouring on the net of responses from women who feel that the study vindicates their personal experiences, which, consistent with medicine's historic dismissal of women's emotional and mental health, have generally and specifically been disregarded by doctors. Holly Grigg-Spall's response in the Guardian is particularly succinct on this.
The VICE article is part of an ongoing series examining the history and future of reproductive rights to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Planned Parenthood, bless them, and it is full of jewels.
Highly recommended, y'all.