The history of the development of a new scientific or medical technology is a story of science in the making. In this paper we attempt to trace the development of the anti-hCG vaccine over the past 20 years, using controversy as a methodological entry point into the history.

As with Bhanwari Devi, gross injustice was committed in the Roop Kanwar sati case, when yet another session court in Rajasthan, acquitted all 32 of the accused in October last year.

Viewed in retrospect, the development of hormonal methods of fertility control could be broadly divided into three main phases: (i) development of the oral contraceptive 'Pill based on synthetic ovarian steroid hormones; (ii) the demonstration that continuous oral administration of progestins in