The Pill That Changed Everything

1960 1960 1960

THE PILL THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

By: Rachel Cox

On October 29, 1959, G.D. Searle filed an application with the Food and Drug Administration to commercially use their drug Enovid as an oral contraceptive. After many trials and tests, on May 11, 1960, the FDA officially announced its approval of the contraceptive pill. Women growing up in the years before the “pill” lived in fear. Little information was given to them on the education sexual intercourse, and many found themselves pregnant before getting the chance to fully live. But as the pill got its approval, “it was like going from night to day”, Carole Cato said. “And I know that I had control, that I had a choice, that I controlled my body. It gave me a whole new lease on life”. By the approval, the pill was one of the relatively few options of contraception other than condoms and diaphragms. Therefore, after 2 years, 1.2 million American women were on the pill and by year 3, the number almost doubled to 2.3 million. Even though women have their freedom, the legality of whether it is right or wrong to take a contraceptive remains a political issue to this day.