‘The pill’ turns 50: debate continues over cultural significance; women have new options
By APFriday, May 7, 2010
America’s favorite birth control method turns 50
May 9, 1960: FDA announces its approval of the first oral contraceptive, Enovid, which quickly became known as “the pill.”
June 7, 1965: Supreme Court rules states cannot deny birth control materials to married people.
January 1970: U.S. Senate begins hearings on the safety of the pill.
March 22, 1972: Supreme Court strikes down a law banning the distribution of contraceptives to unmarried people.
Early 1980s: Nearly 11 million American women are on the pill.
1988: FDA urges companies to remove the original high-dose oral contraceptives from the market because of safety concerns.
September 1992: First magazine ads for the pill appear.
May 2007: FDA approves first birth control pill meant to stop women’s monthly periods indefinitely.
March 2010: New study suggests women who took the birth control pill beginning in the late 1960s live longer than those who never took the pill.
