Enovid was the contraceptive prescribed to Peggy in the pilot. It was one of the first pills okayed by the FDA, and was officially approved in May 1960.  To be prescribed Enovid by a doctor, women had to be treated for “menstrual disorders”. Doctors were required to have treated the patient for a set period of time before giving out the pill; however, most doctors gave it out with little prodding.

Although the FDA approved the first oral contraceptive in 1960, contraceptives were not available to married women in all states until Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965 and were not available to unmarried women in all states until Eisenstadt v. Baird in 1972.  (wiki)

Enovid was later discontinued over fears of blood clots and pulmonary embolisms.

• footnote - by Natasha Simons

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5. jennyyyy reblogged this from bthny and added:

   the pill was only legalized in japan in 1999! but regardless, i’m not really surprised…there are a lot of backwards...

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8. sexartandpolitics reblogged this from natface and added:

   1972 was not very long ago. Or was it, by now?

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    can y’all believe that less than 40 years ago,...couldn’t get a prescription for...

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