Grateful for The Pill and Its Advocates

Did you hear that the pill turned 50 on May 9? This is a noteworthy event, since the pill has had a profound effect on women’s sexual freedom and the ability to control their bodies. Still, experts say it did not spark the sexual revolution, despite criticism to the contrary in the 1960s. A Kinsey report on female sexual behavior published in 1953 noted that half of all women had had premarital sex. And it also did not result in a sudden drop in the U.S. fertility rate, which didn’t hit bottom until the next decade (USA Today May 7, 2010).

While the pill gave women more freedom, it also gave them more responsibility. They could no longer blame fear of pregnancy as the reason to say “no.” Women had to own their feelings and claim the right to control, protect, and honor their bodies. In a sense, that’s what sane sex is all about. To postpone physical intimacy until emotional intimacy develops places a high value on our bodies, acknowledging that they are not to be shared freely or thoughtlessly.

Fifty years ago women such as Margaret Sanger and Katharine McCormick fought for women’s right to have access to the pill. Although it was available, many doctors tried to keep it from their patients. (Even today, the pill requires a prescription, even though it meets the FDA’s criteria for switching a prescription drug to over-the-counter.) How ironic it is that so many of today’s women take the freedom of the pill for granted. Regarding superficial sex, the old adage, “just because you can doesn’t mean you should,” applies. Honor the women who have gone before you, and honor the incredible gift of your body. Sex is a treasure and you are a treasure. Treating them both as such is an appropriate way to say thanks.