Planned Parenthood Celebrates 43rd Anniversary of U.S. Supreme Court’s Landmark Birth Control Ruling
June 06, 2008 9:43:00
St. Paul — On June 7, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (PPMNS) will celebrate the 43rd anniversary of Griswold v. Connecticut. This landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision paved the way for recognition that birth control is basic health care for women. The 1965 ruling marked the first time that the Supreme Court recognized that women’s reproductive decisions are protected by the Constitution and paved the way for the almost universal acceptance of contraception that now exists in this country. However, many women still face barriers in accessing affordable health care, including access to birth control and family planning services.
"Griswold v. Connecticut is a powerful reminder about the importance of access to birth control," said PPMNS President and CEO Sarah Stoesz. "Four decades later, too few women and couples have comprehensive, affordable access to contraception and family planning services. As the region’s leading reproductive health care advocate and provider, Planned Parenthood knows that prevention is the key to building strong, healthy families.”
Griswold v. Connecticut was the first in a long line of Supreme Court cases that established the constitutional right of women to plan and space healthy, wanted pregnancies, including Eisenstadt v. Baird, which extended the right to use birth control to unmarried women, and Roe v. Wade, which guarantees women the right to choose abortion free from unwarranted governmental intrusion.
“Birth control is basic health care. It is imperative that politicians support programs that provide access to affordable contraception for low-income families, ensure that insurance companies cover the cost of contraceptives, and restore access to low-cost birth control to universities and safety-net health care providers,” said Stoesz.
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