On the subject of birth control books, has anybody mentioned _Benefits_
by Zoe Fairbairns? The spark for the novel arose from the debates around
Wages for Housework, but there is much about state control of
reproduction. Chemicals are introduced to the water supply to make
women infertile. Women wishing to reproduce have to apply for the
antidote and have to fit certain state-determined criteria - usual
right-wing and eugenicist clap-trap. Unfortunately, the side effect of
this chemical intervention is that most (all?) of the subsequent children
are born with birth defects.
It's some time since I read the novel, but I found it very interesting,
if - at times - too obviously a thought-experiment. It's definitely
worth a read.
Joan Haran
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