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FDA approves the oral contraceptive pill

9 May 1960·Social & demographic·North America (United States)·
9 May 1960Date
Social & demographicCategory
9Empires active
Date
9 May 1960
Category
Social & demographic
Region
North America (United States)
Era
Contemporary
Significance

On 9 May 1960 the US Food and Drug Administration approved Enovid, manufactured by G.D. Searle, as the first oral contraceptive, and it reached the market in June 1960.

Developed through research commissioned by birth-control campaigner Margaret Sanger, funded by Katharine McCormick, and led by biochemist Gregory Pincus and gynaecologist John Rock, 'the Pill' offered women a highly effective, female-controlled and discreet method of preventing pregnancy. Adoption was rapid: around 1.2 million American women were using it within two years and 6.5 million by 1965, with diffusion across many other countries. By separating sexual activity from reproduction and allowing women to plan childbearing, the Pill is widely credited with reshaping family size, expanding women's participation in higher education and the workforce, and reinforcing the social changes associated with second-wave feminism and the so-called sexual revolution. Its introduction also generated lasting debates over hormone safety, access, morality and religious teaching that continued for decades.

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Yuval Noah Harari

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