Fifty years ago, on June 7, 1965, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling on contraception, which would have a profound affect on women's lives. The birth control pill had come to the market in 1960, but in much of the U.S., it was illegal to advertise contraception.

Why was birth control illegal in the US?

In 1965, the US Supreme Court provided a major victory for proponents of birth control in Griswold v. Connecticut. The court held a Connecticut law prohibiting the use of contraceptives by a married couple unconstitutional because it violated the right to privacy implicit in the US Constitution.

Why was birth control illegal in the 1900s?

Religious and moral beliefs have intersected with economic and social class factors in the promotion and prohibition of contraception. It was illegal to provide information on contraception in the US well into the 20th century, but physicians had the authority to prescribe methods for health reasons.