1st contraceptive pill is made available for purchase in the U.S.

The struggle for reproductive rights stretches back through a long and painful history, deeply intertwined with the feminist movement's demand for bodily autonomy. Throughout the 1950s, Anti-obscenity laws dating back through the early 20th century effectively barred women in the United States of America from being prescribed birth control. This legal landscape drove many women to desperate measures, pushing them toward unreliable and frequently dangerous approaches to managing their own reproduction.

G.D. Searle, an obstetrics nurse who witnessed the urgent demand for contraception firsthand through her work, took notice of this growing crisis. In 1950, she reached out to Gregory Pincus with the goal of creating a birth control pill. Together with other key contributors, including Katharine McCormick, they brought the birth control pill Enovid to life. Funding for the project came from Katharine's inheritance along with support from the Planned Parenthood Federation Of America.

The road from concept to reality was a lengthy one. Synthetic versions of estrogen and progestin—the two hormones at the pill's core—were created in 1951 and 1953, respectively, though they had been developed independently of the project and without any intention of serving as ingredients in a hormonal contraceptive. Drug trials for Enovid were conducted in the late 1950s, and by 1957, the FDA had approved the medication as a hormonal treatment for disorders such as irregular periods.

The FDA ultimately gave Enovid the green light for official use as birth control. On June 23rd, 1960, it hit the market as an officially sanctioned form of contraception, marking a monumental win for women throughout the United States. Even though the pill carried an enormous price tag, roughly 400,000 women reached out to their doctors to inquire about getting a prescription—an outcome that proved incredibly profitable for the company. At $10/month in 1960, which translates to approx. $91/month in 2021 dollars, it was far from cheap. However, by the end of February 1960, the cost would drop to just $3.50-$4 a month.

Even with this landmark achievement in contraception, Enovid was far from perfect. Initially, only married women could receive a prescription for the pill, and users frequently experienced unwelcome side effects like nausea and weight gain. As time went on, however, research into hormonal medicine and contraception advanced considerably. Shifting societal attitudes meant that Enovid and comparable birth control options eventually became available to women regardless of relationship status. Still, despite all this progress, both the technology behind and public attitudes toward birth control continue to need improvement and remain a source of controversy.