«Too many people?». The Puerto Rican Laboratory and Birth Control Policies as a Tool for Modernity and Development
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Abstract
The US used Puerto Rico as a testing ground for birth control policies since the early 20th century. After WWII, the island also became, as Raymond Carr wrote, « a showcase for democracy» in the context of the Cold War and in opposition to neighboring Cuba. This essay discusses the nexus between birth control policies and the exporting of the American Way of Life in Puerto Rico by analyzing how the themes of development, modernization and democracy were considered in a 1953 special issue on Puerto Rico of the Annals of Political and Social Sciences.
Keywords
- Puerto Rico
- Birth Control
- Population Control
- Inter-American Relations
- Modernity
- Development
