By Tim Lambert
Life was hard for women before artificial contraception. Not only did they usually have large numbers of children, but those children were also born close together. Reliable contraception was one of the great inventions of the 20th century.
Of course, people have always attempted to prevent pregnancy. In Ancient Egypt, women made pessaries of dried crocodile dung, honey, acacia leaves, and lint. In the Ancient World, some people practiced the withdrawal method. It is mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 38:9-10). Some women used barriers of a sponge or a cloth.
The first recorded condom was made in 1564. It was made of linen and was tied in place with a ribbon. However, early condoms were really designed to prevent infections rather than pregnancy.
Modern contraception began in the 19th century. In 1855, in Britain, condoms were made using vulcanised rubber. They were designed to be reused. Condoms became cheaper. Condoms were improved again when latex was invented in the 1920s.
Diaphragms were first used in the 1880s. The first known IUD was made by Richard Richter in 1909. IUDs were improved during the 20th century. The IUD was greatly improved in 1969 when they began making them with copper.
However, in the 19th century, there was strong opposition from some people to contraceptives. In the USA in 1873, the Comstock Act made it illegal to distribute contraceptives, or even information about them. The Act was not repealed until 1938.
In 1877, Charles Bradlaugh and Annie Besant were prosecuted for publishing a tract called Fruits of Philosophy, which advocated birth control. They were convicted, but their convictions were overturned on appeal.
In 1921, Margaret Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in the USA in New York. However, Sanger was arrested, and her birth control clinic was shut down. Sanger was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
In March 1921, Marie Stopes opened Britain’s first birth control clinic. Gradually, more birth control organisations were created in England. In 1958, the Church of England formally endorsed the use of contraceptives by married couples.
However, in 1935, the sale and advertisement of contraceptives was made illegal in Ireland.
In June 1960, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the contraceptive pill for use. In December 1961, the contraceptive pill became available in Britain on prescription, but only for married women. It was not available on prescription for single women until 1967.
In 1979, contraceptives were made legal in Ireland, but only with a prescription. The sale of condoms without a prescription was made legal in 1985. Contraceptive pills became available without a prescription in 1992.
