The Pill Turns 45

Yesterday marked the 45th anniversary of a technology that was disruptive on so many levels -- the birth control pill. On May 9, 1960, the US FDA approved the use of Enovid, the first oral contraceptive.

Today we take the Pill for granted, but we must remember that it was the first reliable method of birth control that women could control directly. As a result, the age of family planning had truly arrived. By separating sex and conception, the Pill also changed attitudes about sexuality, and altered our fundamental concepts of relationships and the role of women in society.

Source: The Writer's Almanac