Birth Control Legalization

The road to the legalization of birth control was not easy. Activists such as Margaret Sanger devoted their entire lives to the legalization and implementation of birth control. While the FDA made various forms of birth control accessible throughout the twentieth century, the turning point was when the FDA approved “the pill” in 1960. The pill was a pivotal invention because it made birth control more accessible and applicable; rather than using difficult processes to prevent child-bearing, women could take one pill a day and be freed from the worry of pregnancy. While the pill allowed a plethora of professional and personal benefits to women, conservative magazines such as Vogue viewed birth control as something for women’s complexion rather …show more content…
In 1933, Margaret Sanger ordered a package of birth control from a doctor in Japan. Since birth control was illegal at the time, the United States intercepted the package, prompting Sanger to take the government to court in able to legalize birth control. Ultimately, the courts found that “contraceptives could be medically prescribed for the promotion of health and well-being” (Sanger Papers). With this new legalization, diaphragms became the most prominent form of birth control for women. In fact, a survey conducted in 1955 found that twenty-five percent of married women used the diaphragm in order to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Despite this popularity, once the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the birth control pill, the use of diaphragms fell significantly. From 1955 to 1982, the use of the diaphragm decreased roughly twenty-one percent. Moreover, by 2002, the use of the diaphragm was down to two-tenths of women (CDC). This rapid decline in the popularity of the diaphragm is due to the difficulty of use compared to the birth control pill and the lower pregnancy prevention rate. The pill is ninety-nine percent effective when used properly, and ninety-one percent effective when not used perfectly. Comparatively, the diaphragm is ninety-four percent effective when used properly, and eighty-eight percent effective when not …show more content…
Within four years of the approval, the pill was the most popular contraceptive among women, with 6.5 million women using it on a regular basis (May 2). This mass popularity allowed women increased freedom over their own bodies. No longer did women have to worry about unexpected pregnancy from unprotected sex, and women did not have to rely on men to properly use condoms. Similarly, given that the pill is more effective in preventing pregnancies than diaphragms, women had more security in their sexual lives. Moreover, women could discretely and easily take birth control pills, rather than take the time and effort to insert a diaphragm. Now, women could have as much sex as men without the negative repercussion of pregnancy. Due to this freedom from unplanned pregnancies, women were able to pursue their careers. Before the FDA approved the pill, women could not pursue professional careers and be sexually active at the same time because pregnancy would force women to leave their careers in order to take care of their children. With this ever-present risk, professionals would either remain abstinent or run the risk of an unwanted pregnancy. However, now that women could be sexually active and protected from unwanted pregnancies, women could pursue careers the same way men could. Given this increase in opportunity, women were able to challenge