A Changing Society - Disussions About the Pill
When Schering's pill Anovlar was introduced in Germany on 1st June 1961, the contraceptive effect was only marginally mentioned in the package insert. Rather, the insert emphasized other effects such as the reduction of menstrual pain. Only one month later, the German periodical "Stern" published an article about the new method of contraception and thus made the topic available to the public. But in spite of the huge interest, acceptance of the pill was slow to start. The topic was a taboo in society. The pill touched a sensitive area: For the first time, sexuality and procreation could be separated. Old viewpoints must be overhauled, new arguments must be found.

In 1964, three years after the pill was first introduced, the acceptance rate was a meager 1.7% of all women. This was to change drastically after 1968. The student movement flared up, women demanded sexual liberation. They wanted to make love without fear of moralistic repression and without fear of unwanted pregnancy. But still the pill was a bone of contention and made the sexual-moral pillars of the 50's and 60's wobble. But most importantly, the pill achieved one thing: it broke the taboo of pre-marital sex. The pill's acceptance rate rose to 12%. More and more, women came to appreciate this safe form of contraception. For the first time, they themselves could decide on the number and spacing of their pregnancies, and thus improve their standing in the job. But suddenly, in the mid-70's, the general mood changed. The pill's image altered; again it was a bone of contention. The phenomenon of the "pill bend" was discussed intensively. The decreasing population figures in both East and West Germany were attributed to the pill. Very quickly, however, this was exposed as a myth.

In the 1980's, the discussion became again more factual. More and more sexual taboos disappeared. There was sexual education at school, and numerous studies on oral contraceptives were published. Benefits and risks could now be weighed better. Sexuality and contraception have never been treated in a more natural and liberal way than in the Western world today. Taking the pill, which was a revolution in the industrial world 40 years ago, is a matter of course today. Historians agree that the invention of the pill is one of the most important achievements of the 20th century.