1873: Comstock Act

• Anti-obscenity law 
• Made it a federal crime to send or receive any material deemed as “obscene, lewd, or lascivious,” including birth control and anything related to sexual health. 

1916: Margaret Sanger, fellow activist, and sister opened the first U.S. abortion clinic in 

Brownsville, Brooklyn.

1921: Margaret Sanger founded the American Birth Control League

1936: U.S. v One Package

• Supreme Court overturned the birth control provisions of Comstock Act

1960: Enovid

• First oral contraceptive pill approved by FDA

1965: Griswold v. Connecticut

• Supreme Court ruled that constitution protected the right of marital privacy against state restrictions on contraception

1967-1972: States reform abortion laws

• Alaska, Hawaii, New York, and Washington completely repealed their abortion bans

1972: Eisenstadt v Baird 

• Supreme Court ruled that unmarried people have the same constitutional right to contraception as married people

1973: Roe v. Wade

• The right to privacy implied in the 14th amendment protects the right to abortion 

1976: Hyde Amendment

• Bans the use of federal funds for most abortions

1992: Planned Parenthood v. Casey

• Pennsylvania law that required spousal awareness before obtaining an abortion creates a burden on married women seeking abortion and is violates the 14th amendment
• Supreme Court upheld the right to have an abortion from Roe v. Wade

2006: Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood federation of america

• Supreme Court ruled that Congress’s ban on partial-birth abortion was constitutional

2007: Gonzales v. Carhart

• Supreme Court ruled that the 14th amendment does not prevent states from passing laws against partial-birth abortion 

2010: Affordable Care Act

• Further limits financial assistance with abortion

2013: FDA approves Plan B for over the counter sales without age restrictions

2016: Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt

• Supreme Court rules that restrictions on abortion services place an undue burden on women 
• Strikes down Texas law with strict regulations on abortion clinics

2022: Dobbs v Jackson

• Overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey

2023: Opill: over the counter birth control pills available in most major stores: convenience, grocery, etc.