"It was pioneering," says Anne Weyman, the charity's chief executive.
"The women campaigning for this were acting against lots of criticism. Society was not very sympathetic. At the time those who had access to education and money could get contraception, but it wasn't available to the poor."
The campaign was finally won in 1974, when the NHS began offering free contraception to women for the first time. The agency's family planning clinics were brought under NHS control and this prompted a rethink. "We've really become a different organisation," admits Weyman. "It was a huge achievement to change from running a large number of clinics to being concerned with promoting sexual health education."
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