FDA approves Enovid; women may now take a pill to prevent pregnancy

In May 1960, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stood at a crossroads that would reshape American society. After years of clinical trials involving hundreds of thousands of women, the agency announced it would approve Enovid—the first combined oral contraceptive pill—for contraceptive use. This small tablet, containing synthetic hormones that prevented ovulation, would give women unprecedented control over their fertility and spark debates about sexuality, religion, and women's roles that continue to this day…