This Day in History: The Pill

Katherine Mangu-Ward | May 9, 2007

On May 9, 1960, the FDA announced its intention to approve the first pill for contraceptive use. After four years of clinical trials, a 10 milligram pill called Enovid received the OK (though it had already been approved for use as a treatment for "menstrual disorders" three years before.)

The 100 million women on the Pill today (and their menfolk, one assumes) agree: This is an anniversary worth celebrating. Others beg to differ.

Read a great big-picture article on the ways "prescription laws make us sicker and poorer"--with a focus on contraception--from Kerry Howley, here. More on the Pill here.

Hilarious image of woman fighting off the stork via Wired.