birth control became legal in ireland in 1980.
when did birth control become legal in ireland?
1980
in the early 20th century "birth control" was advanced as alternative to the then fashionable terms "family limitation" and "voluntary motherhood". the phrase "birth control" entered the english language in 1914 and was popularised by margaret sanger, who was mainly active in the us but had gained an international reputation by the 1930s. the british birth control campaigner marie stopes made contraception acceptable in britain during the 1920s by framing it in scientific terms. stopes assisted emerging birth control movements in a number of british colonies. the birth control movement advocated for contraception so as to permit sexual intercourse as desired without the risk of pregnancy. by emphasizing "control", the birth control movement argued that women should have control over their reproduction, an idea that aligned closely to the theme of the feminist movement. slogans such as "control over our own bodies" criticised male domination and demanded women's liberation, a connotation that is absent from the family planning, population control and eugenics movements. in the 1960s and 1970s the birth control movement advocated for the legalisation of abortion and large-scale education campaigns about contraception by governments. in the 1980s birth control and population control organisations co-operated in demanding rights to contraception and abortion, with an increasing emphasis on "choice".
women's rights
birth control activism was an important cause in the 1930s. in 1936, margaret sanger helped bring the case of "united states v. one package" to the u.s. circuit court of appeals. the decision in that case allowed physicians to legally mail birth control devices and information; however, it applied only to new york, connecticut, and vermont; birth control did not become legal for married couples throughout the united states until the 1965 supreme court decision griswold v. connecticut, and did not become legal for unmarried couples throughout the united states until the 1972 supreme court decision eisenstadt v. baird. in 1937, the american medical association officially recognized birth control as an integral part of medical practice and education, and north carolina became the first state to recognize birth control as a public health measure and to provide contraceptive services to indigent mothers through its public health program.
history of women in the united states