One of the most important events in 20^th Century history occurred on May 9, 1960. That was the day the United States Food and Drug Administration gave its final approval to the use of Enovid, an oral contraceptive pill created by the drug firm G.D. Searle and Company.

For the first time in human history, sexual activity was largely freed from the consequences of reproduction. It launched a sexual revolution whose reverberations are still felt across the world today, as use of “The Pill,” as the drug became to be known, became widespread.

It’s so commonplace today that many people forget that the use of oral contraceptives was once illegal. Even with FDA approval, there were still state laws on the books that banned the use of the pill. By 1965, the issue made it to the Supreme Court, which ruled that federal approval superseded state laws that prohibited their use by married people. But it wasn’t until 1972 that birth control became legal for use by everyone.  

Interestingly, it is believed that the term “The Pill” was created out of discretion – women who didn’t want to ask directly for an oral contraceptive would mask their request by referring to the item generically.

Widespread Birth Control Use

Today, just about every American uses birth control. The Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that focuses on sexual and reproductive health, found that more than 99 percent of women ages 15 to 44 who experienced sexual intercourse have used at least one birth control method, which can mean they used anything ranging from the Pill to condoms.