The Birth of the Pill

May 12, 2010 -- Though I no longer work for a major metropolitan newspaper (nor am I Superman or -woman), I'm still on some press release lists out there. And I received one today that is worth mentioning.

Last Sunday on May 9 was the 50th anniversary of the FDA approval of the birth control pill. Those who reached adulthood in the years since that momentous day can only imagine what a revolutionary development this was.

Yes, The Pill made possible the 1960s "free love" era that horrified those too timid to participate. And the social and public health scientists could point out lots of negatives associated with The Pill.

But it also made it possible, really for the first time, for every child to be a wanted child. A Planned Parenthood anniversary poll found that three out of four women (76 percent) said that the birth control pill is one of the most important medical advances of the last century and has had a positive impact on women’s day-to-day lives.

The Pill spared countless women (and their partners) the terror of a skipped menstrual period -- a terror that could change the direction of their lives forever. Or it might have sent them in search of an illegal "solution." Rent the Mike Leigh film "Vera Drake" (http://imdb.to/93Zkuf) if you want to know a little about what that was like.

We're still arguing over women's reproductive rights in this country, now in the context of whether birth control pills will be covered by penurious insurance companies.

But we should never doubt that The Pill made a difference.

Linda Roach is a Portland writer who specializes in medical research and policy articles for a physician audience. She also blogs about Portland-related topics here.