Oral Contraception In America

The idea of contraception and the issues around it have and still are a controversial topic in America. Families throughout history have tried to take control over how many children and family members they have and plan to have. However, the science not being as advanced as it is today led to many unwanted pregnancies which then increased the need for a form of contraception. Men and women have both contributed to the issue and have tried numerous ways to prevent pregnancies for various reasons. The most popular form of contraception in America is currently oral contraceptives. In an ideal situation women would have the ability to easily access oral contraceptives and take them as they please. However, given the social structure of the American

As such means there have been many different methods of contraception that people have tried over time. Contraception knowledge has been something that has been passed down among families and women for generations. In 1960, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first form of oral contraception. “At first, it was not legally available to unmarried minors” (Browne 603). This means that a large majority of women did not have legal access to oral contraceptive pills. This poses a problem in that if women were considered a minor and wanted oral contraceptives then they did not have access to it. However, overtime changes were made and eventually it was legalized to everyone. One of the most significant changes came with the decision by the Supreme Court in Griswold V. Connecticut in 1965 (Browne 604). The decision ruled that Connecticut no longer had the right to ban married women from gaining access to contraception. This gave individual women more power over their own bodies despite what their husbands wanted or would say. This does not mean that the husband did not still have influence over the wives decisions but it was a step in the right