Tomorrow marks the 50th Anniversary of the pills US approval, ironically on the same day as Mothers Day in the country. In light of this Danielle Almond takes a look at the history of the pill from its invention to the status it occupies today.
In 1960 the female contraceptive gained approval. This was a landmark in many ways, it was the first safe and reliable means of contraception the Catholic church couldn’t disapprove of and the first long-term drug meant for healthy people. The popularity of the pill exploded in the next few years to 1.2 million in 1961 to triple that figure in 1965.
However controversy about the pill continued to circulate with headlines such as “Can it’s availability to all women of childbearing age lead to sexual anarchy?” and further stories about Long Island suburban housewives allowed to work as prostitutes thanks to the pill appearing throughout the 60s.
The Pill is also accredited as the catalyst allowing for the sexual revolution of the 60s however co incidence does not always mean causation. The landmark Kinsey reports of the 50s had demonstrated that sexual liberation pre dated the release of the contraceptive pill with half of women admitting to having sex before marriage and 1 in 4 admitting to adultery.
Other associations of the popularisation of the pill were an increase in the marrying age, a reduction in wishes for a large family and an increase in female employment. At the same time colleges starting allowing women to enter, no longer under the impression that women’s education would be a waste if they were to enrol only to then fall pregnant and drop out.
However in marking the 50th Anniversary of the Food and Drugs Administration’s approval of the pill it is important to remember that for the 200 million women who have used the pill the same number still need access to it. The numbers for this are astounding, if those 200 million women were to have access to the pill it has been estimated that this would save 50 million unwanted pregnancies, 150,000 women’s lives and 640,000 newborns.
Looking forward to the next 50 years of the pill in the UK there are talks about the first male contraceptive, sparking debates as to whether men can be trusting with birth control. As well as this there are also controversial talks of the pill being made available without prescription.
Chick here to watch an award winning film about the effects of childbirth and pregnancy in India highlighting the government’s lack of action about women’s basic human rights.
Danielle Almond
Tags: contraception, sex, the pill, women
