The Laogai Archive is a dense set of documents, full of aging papers and sepia-toned photos.  Imagine my surprise, then, in finding actual medical equipment among the records of China's family planning policies - an Intrauterine Device, or IUD. 

The IUD is a hormone-free contraception with a complicated history - it was widely unused for the first 30 years following its invention in 1928 due to high rates of infection.  More recently they have become a relatively safe and effective long-term contraceptive method, and in China they are currently in use by 45% of married Chinese women, representing over two-thirds of all IUD users in the world.  IUDs have long been widely used in China, where the One Child Policy strictly penalizes women and families who have multiple children. 

This particular IUD is a TCuC-S model, manufactured in the Wuxi Medical Instrument Factory of Jiangsu Province under the brand Tian Yi.  It promises to be "Sterile for 2 Years," although there is no manufacture date listed.  The documentation submitted with this particular artifact includes a birth permit issued in May of 1996.  It's a plastic model, T-shaped with 6 small copper bands wrapped around its skinny arms.  A blue filament hangs down from its base.  I am sure it is an unremarkable medical specimen, but as an American woman I find myself nevertheless struck by its presence.  (Read more after the jump)