“Babies Needn’t Follow”: Birth Control and Abortion Policy and Activism at the University of Waterloo and Waterloo Lutheran University, 1965–74

Abstract

Access to birth control and abortion was a contentious issue for university students throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Despite liberalized legislation regarding access to contraception and abortion, young, single women were often limited in their ability to access contraception. In response to this, university students initiated programs on campus in attempts to promote safe and accessible methods of contraception. This article examines birth control and abortion policy and activism at the University of Waterloo and Waterloo Lutheran University. Through an analysis of the student newspapers at both universities, this article illustrates the ways in which students lobbied their universities and initiated their own organizations to further women’s access to contraceptive services. A case study of these universities illuminates the different experiences of two schools within the same community and considers the impact that religion and university administration can have on student activism.