There have been some questions about contraception earlier in the life of the Chicken Ranch. Here's what I have found about the products available and laws in force:
Summary of ancient birth control methods before the pill:
HereInfo on the Comstock Law that criminalized the distribution of contraceptives
here and
here.
Timeline of Birth Control through the life of The Chicken Ranch:1839 - Charles Goodyear invents the technology to vulcanize rubber and manufactures rubber condoms, intrauterine devices, douching
syringes, and "womb veils" (diaphragms). All of these would be washable and reusable.
1870's - A wide assortment of birth control devices are available in America --
such as condoms, sponges, douching syringes, diaphragms and cervical
caps -- from catalogs, pharmacists, dry-goods stores and even rubber
vendors.
1873 - March 2: Congress passes the
Comstock Law,
an anti-obscenity act that specifically lists contraceptives as obscene
material and outlaws the dissemination of them via the postal service
or interstate commerce. At the time, the United States is the only
western nation to enact laws criminalizing birth control. This virtually criminalizes contraceptives.
*More information on the continuing presence of the Comstock Law
here as well.
Contraceptives were still distributed via other methods such as misleading advertisements, but states had erected local laws as well criminalizing the use, distribution, and possession of contraceptives after this, making it particularly hard to procure these devices.
1880 - Dr. Wilhelm Mensinga, a German scientist, invents a larger cervical
cap. His model will gain widespread popularity and come to be known as
"the diaphragm." I do not believe this would have been available to the 'Chicken Ranch' until much later.
1906 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is established to protect consumers from fraudulent medical products and quackery.
1914 - Margaret Sanger coins the term "birth control" and dares to use the phrase in
The Woman Rebel.
Sanger is indicted for nine violations of
the Comstock Law. She flees the country
to continue her work in England.
1916 - Sanger, with her sister and a friend, opens the
first birth control clinic
in America, in Brooklyn, New York. For the first time in American
history, women can receive organized instruction in birth control. It is quickly shut down.
1918 - The Crane decision, in the case against Sanger's operation of the
clinic, is the first legal ruling to allow birth control to be used for
therapeutic purposes.
1920 - The Nineteenth Amendment is ratified, giving women the right to vote.
1923 - Sanger successfully opens the first legal birth control clinic
in the U.S. with the stated intent of only using contraceptives for
medical purposes, such as the prevention of life-threatening
pregnancies and in accordance with the Crane decision.
1920's - Scientists working independently in Japan (1924) and Austria (1927)
devise the "Rhythm Method" of birth control.
1930's - During the
Great Depression,
companies eager to sell women contraceptives, but not permitted to by
law, use the term "feminine hygiene" to market a wide array of
over-the-counter products that are believed to have a contraceptive
effect. One of the most popular products is the simple and cheap "Lysol
douche," and scores of women rely solely on this ineffective and
dangerous method to prevent pregnancy. It can cause burns or death if not properly diluted.
1936 - Margaret Sanger orchestrates a court battle over a shipment of Japanese diaphragms to a doctor in the U.S. In a decision titled
U.S. vs. One Package,
the court rules that physicians can receive contraceptive devices and
information via the mail unless prohibited by a specific local law. The case
leads to the American Medical Association (AMA) officially recognizing
birth control as part of a doctor's medical practice.
1950's - Americans spend an estimated $200 million a year on contraceptives.
Due to massive improvements over the past decade in condom quality and
a growing awareness of the inadequacies of douches, "rubbers" are the
most popular form of birth control on the market.
Anti-birth control laws on the books in thirty
states still prohibit or restrict the sale and advertisement of
contraceptive devices. It is a felony in Massachusetts to "exhibit,
sell, prescribe, provide, or give out information" about them. In
Connecticut, it is a crime for a couple to use contraception.
1951 - The Catholic Church remains resolutely opposed to artificial birth
control, but Pope Pius XII announces that the Church will sanction the
use of the rhythm method as a natural form of birth control.
1954 - Trials begin with "Enovid", the first oral contraceptive.
1957 - The FDA approves the use of Enovid for the treatment of severe
menstrual disorders and requires the drug label to carry the warning
that Enovid will prevent ovulation.
1960 - Searle receives
FDA approval
to sell Enovid as a birth control pill. Searle is the first and only
pharmaceutical company to sell an oral contraceptive.
1964 - Despite general public approval for birth control, ghosts of the
Comstock Laws
linger. Eight states still prohibit the sale of contraceptives, and
laws in Massachusetts and Connecticut still prevent the dissemination
of information about birth control.
1965 - By a vote of 7-2 in
Griswold v. Connecticut, the Supreme Court strikes down the Connecticut law prohibiting the use of birth control as a violation of a couple's right to privacy, making the use of contraceptives legal for all married couples in the U.S.
1968 - To the dismay of Catholics around the world -- and
ignoring the recommendations of the Papal commission on birth control
-- Pope Paul VI states unequivocally that the Church remains opposed to all
forms of birth control except the rhythm method.
1972 - The U.S. Supreme Court, ruling in
Eisenstadt v. Baird that a
state cannot stand in the way of distribution of birth control to a
single person, strikes down Massachusetts law prohibiting the sale of
contraceptives to unmarried women, making the purchasing and distribution of contraceptives legal for all persons in the U.S.
*
Edited from PBS's American Experience: The Pill timeline.
