The G Ring

How the IUD Escaped the Nazis

By: Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow

Narrated by: Angela Dawe

An epic untold true story at the intersection of WWII and the history of reproductive freedom - as the inventor of a controversial form of contraception struggles to escape Nazi Germany.

Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg was among the most sought-after gynecologists in pre-World War II Germany. The creator of the first IUD, known as the Gräfenberg ring, he was posthumously credited with identifying the eponymous "Gräfenberg spot" or G-spot. He was also a Jew in Nazi Germany, and by 1938 he had been stripped of his practice, his possessions, and his freedom and was languishing in a Nazi prison. After being allegedly ransomed from confinement by Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger, Gräfenberg fled to America, where he eventually became the only male doctor at Sanger’s birth control clinic.

In this bracing essay, Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow rescues from near obscurity the pioneering inventor of a contraceptive device that unleashed decades of controversy. And as we see efforts to roll back reproductive rights, it is also a cautionary tale as relevant today as it was nearly a century ago.

©2020 Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Fascinating!

A quick and enjoyable, short piece. I listened to the whole thing straight through, I was absolutely fascinated.

Well written and well researched

Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg, currently best known for his work on researching what we now call "The G-Spot", was the most well regarded gynecologist in Germany between the wars. In most of Europe, unlike in the U.S., human sexuality was not a verboten topic. Doctors all over Europe specialized in helping women with family planning and disease prevention. This well written and well narrated lengthy essay tells the story of one of the preeminent physicians working in this field. The essay also touches on the 1920s Berliner views toward sex positive culture, eugenics, and a host of other topics related to human sexuality and women's reproductive health and sexuality satisfaction.
Fascinating and highly recommended.

interesting subject . . .

And not something I had really ever thought about. As a mom of two children now in their 20s, I'm certainly grateful to have been of child bearing age at a time in history where I had safe and legal options available to me.

Informative

The short story format was fitting to the subject. This story was full of information on the history and invention process of the IUD. The author gives the reader a full view of the subject matter and all the surrounded it and its inventor.

Fascinating little read!

This was a totally engrossing and thoroughly informative story. The perfect length, perfect performance as well.