The FDA approved Enovid on May 9, 1960, as the first birth control pill—research Sanger had funded and championed for years.
On May 9, 1960, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Enovid for use as a contraceptive, making it the world's first oral birth control pill approved for widespread use. This landmark approval represented the culmination of a scientific quest that Margaret Sanger, then in her eighties, had personally championed, organized, and financially supported over the preceding decade.
In the early 1950s, Sanger had introduced philanthropist Katharine McCormick to biologist Gregory Pincus, connecting the funding and scientific expertise necessary to develop a hormonal contraceptive. McCormick provided crucial financial backing—ultimately contributing over two million dollars—while Pincus, along with Dr. John Rock, conducted the research and clinical trials that led to Enovid's development.
The pill's approval revolutionized reproductive control for women worldwide, offering an effective, discreet, and woman-controlled method of contraception that did not require partner cooperation, unlike condoms or diaphragms. It fundamentally transformed women's ability to control their fertility, pursue education and careers, and plan their families, becoming one of the most significant medical and social developments of the twentieth century. For Sanger, who had spent over four decades fighting legal battles and social stigma to make birth control accessible, the pill's approval represented the fulfillment of her lifelong mission—delivering a safe, effective, and easily accessible contraceptive method into the hands of women everywhere.