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Worcester State Hospital’s Birth Control Pill Trials
Worcester State Hospital was a mental hospital in the state of Massachusetts. In 1944, Gregory Pincus, who had been developing a birth control pill, began doing independent research at the Worcester State Hospital.
Pincus had a history of running his drug trials on marginalized populations like poor women of color who couldn’t speak English. The experimentation extended to the non-consenting, mentally-ill patients of Worcester State Hospital. Pincus’ team tested the oral contraceptive on 28 psychiatric patients at the hospital, 12 of which were female and 16 were male. In addition, 16 other female patients were recruited to be used in observing the “tranquilizing” effects of the pill. Following the drug trials, their uteruses were dissected to see if the pill had successfully halted ovulation.
Although the patient’s families were asked for permission to have their family members participate in the drug trial, because the patients could not advocate for themselves, there is no way to prove that the patients understood what was happening to them. This makes the human trials at Worcester State Hospital very unethical and nonconsensual.
It’s important to acknowledge the history of how this widely used contraceptive came to be and the vulnerable, mentally-ill patients of Worcester State Hospital who were exploited along the way.
“The Boston Pill Trials.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/pill-boston-pill-trials/.
Byrne, Kolyn. “Worcester State Hospital - an Abandoned Asylum in Massachusetts.” World Abandoned, 21 June 2021, www.worldabandoned.com/worcester-state-hospital.
Eckelbecker, Lisa. “New Book Tells Backstory of Birth Control Pill Development in Worcester.” The Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Telegram & Gazette, 27 Oct. 2014, www.telegram.com/story/news/local/north/2014/10/27/new-book-tells-backstory-birth/36067492007/.
Pendergrass, Drew C., and Michelle Y. Raji. “The Bitter Pill: Harvard and the Dark History of Birth Control.” The Harvard Crimson, 28 Sept. 2017, www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/9/28/the-bitter-pill/.