Media

OTTAWA, June 30, 2011  —  The University of Ottawa is proud to host Great Expectations: A 50-Year Retrospective on Oral Contraception, an international symposium marking the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill in Canada.

Named one of the top twenty medical milestones by the British Medical Journal, the birth control pill is presently used by over 100 million women worldwide. Since its introduction, the pill has had a powerful, ongoing influence on the reproductive lives of Canadian women, sexual relationships and gender relations in society. This symposium will explore the role of the pill and the fundamental impact it has had.

Keynote speaker Carl Djerassi of Stanford University is internationally renowned for his research, which led to the development of the first oral contraceptive. He will join historians from Canada, the United States and the U.K. to examine the pill’s history as well as its legal and medical implications. As well, Ottawa physicians, medical residents, lawyers and activists will discuss issues surrounding contraception, sexuality and reproductive health.

WHAT: Great Expectations: A 50-Year Retrospective on Oral Contraception

WHERE: University of Ottawa, Desmarais Building, 55 Laurier Avenue East, Room 4101

WHEN: July 3, 2011, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

University of Ottawa professor and symposium organizer Christabelle Sethna explains:

“Over the past fifty years, the pill has become a fundamental part of sexual and reproductive health in Canada. We simply cannot imagine life without it. This symposium is an opportunity to examine what the pill means to Canadians on several levels. After half a century, it remains a lightning rod for ongoing issues such as female sexuality, gender relations, fertility, childbearing, reproductive health and contraceptive options for women and men.”

This event will be held in conjunction with the Women’s Worlds 2011 conference.