ABSTRACT
Medieval authorities permitted anaphrodisiacs, plants believed to inhibit generation such as coriander, lettuce, and rice, although whether these could be termed contraceptives is debatable. One of the major obstacles to the development of effective contraceptives was the lack of scientific knowledge about reproduction. Though it is obvious that the man in orgasm secretes a serious whitish fluid, and the correlation of this fluid with pregnancy has been recognized. Progesterone and estrogen were isolated chemically in the 1930s, and experiments conducted at that time on rabbits showed that both inhibited ovulation and prevented pregnancy. These dangers should, however, be viewed in perspective, since the risk to life from the oral contraceptives is far lower than the danger involved in a pregnancy. The Court held that for the first three months of pregnancy the matter of abortion was to be decided by the woman and her physician.
