Planned Parenthood Celebrates 43rd Anniversary of U.S. Supreme Court's Landmark Birth Control Ruling

ALBANY, NY (06/07/2008)(readMedia)-- On June 7, Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood (UHPP) 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," UHPP President/CEO Patricia McGeown said. "It is hard to believe that only four decades ago, women did not have the ability to effectively plan their time of pregnancy and parenthood. Griswold was a key step in the establishment of a woman’s right and ability to participate fully in our society; to take full advantage of educational and job opportunities and to run for elected office. Access to birth control also resulted in immediate improvements in maternal and child health. Yet, four decades later, many women and couples still lack affordable access to contraception and family planning services. As America’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.

In 2009, UHPP will celebrate its 75th Anniversary. Despite continuous attacks from anti-choice extremists, Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood staff and volunteers has not only survived but continued to provide thousands of women, men and teens each year with the information, education and services they need to build strong, healthy families.

Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood is a community-based non-profit organization providing advocacy, education and medical services for reproductive health care in the capital region since 1934. Our services are delivered with special concern for the underserved.