Last week, for the first time in U.S. history, federal regulators approved the sale of a birth control pill without a prescription.

Pam Belluck, a health and science correspondent for The Times, explains why, after decades of brutal battles over contraception, this decision played out so differently.

Guest: Pam Belluck, a health and science correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• The F.D.A. approved a birth control pill to be sold without a prescription for the first time in the United States, a milestone that could significantly expand access to contraception.
• Here’s how women reacted to the news.

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