Birth control was increasingly common through the 19th century
The Cornstalk Laws, pushed by anti-obscenity activists, outlawed contraception
1840-70s 1873
Birth Control Federation of America
(BCFA), which would become
Planned Parenthood, formed.
Cornstalk laws, rarely enforced, remained on the books
1939
Condoms became legal again, gaining mainstream acceptance
1920s
1918 control pill (approved by the FDA in 1960)
Gregory Pincus developed the birth
1950s
Congress removed references to contraception from federal anti-obsecenity laws (Cornstalk Laws)
Large sections of the medical community remained skeptical of birth control, state and federal laws still
outlaw contraception
1965 1970 1980s
The Supreme Court ruled that birth control was legal in Griswold v. Connecticut
The modern low-dose, two- and threephase birth control pills became availabile
2012!
2010
FDA approved a prescription emergency contraception pill (the morning after pill), which became available over the counter in 2006
1997
2003
A new study found that women on the Pill live longer and are less likely to die prematurely of all causes, including cancer and heart disease
The first continuous birth control pill
(taken every day) was approved