Joycelyn Elders (1933 - ) Dr. Joycelyn Elders, born on this day in 1933, is an American pediatrician who became the first black Surgeon General of the U.S. in 1993. She was fired by President...
Joycelyn Elders (1933 - )
Sun Aug 13, 1933
Dr. Joycelyn Elders, born on this day in 1933, is an American pediatrician and public health administrator who served as Surgeon General of the United States from 1993 to 1994. Elders was the first African American to serve as Surgeon General and is best known for her frank discussion of her views on controversial issues such as drug legalization, masturbation, and distributing contraception in schools.
Although she faced censure from the Clinton administration for advocating the legalization of drugs, it was her sex positive view on masturbation that led to her removal from office. After stating "I think that [masturbation] is part of human sexuality, and perhaps it should be taught", Clinton forced her to resign as Surgeon General in December of 1994. She is currently a professor emerita of pediatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
"If you can't control your reproduction, you can't control your life."
She was the best surgeon general we've had. It was infuriating to me that she got booted for doing the job to the best of her ability because what she said wasn't popular. It still is infuriating.
having a loaf of bread that is made up of half bread and the other half consisting of shit is still just as nonedible as a loaf of bread consisting of just shit
Drugs are still illegal at the federal level and the ability to control reproduction is being taken away. So the two things listed in the post that she was trying to overcome haven't improved significantly.
So yeah, they changed, but not necessarily for the better.