41st Anniversary of Landmark Griswold v. Connecticut Decision Comes as Attacks on Birth Control Access Increase

Washington, DC – Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, called on Congress to commemorate the 41st anniversary of a historic Supreme Court ruling that held that the right to privacy includes the right to birth control, by passing legislation that would guarantee women access to birth control.

On June 7, 1965, by a vote of 7-2, in Griswold v. Connecticut, the Supreme Court struck down a Connecticut law that prohibited the use of contraceptives, holding the statute violated the constitutional right to marital privacy. This decision is cited as fundamental to privacy rights, but today, the right to use birth control is under increasing attack from extreme anti-choice activists and pressure groups.

Currently, anti-choice leaders in Congress refuse to allow a vote on the Access to Legal Pharmaceuticals Act (ALPhA), which would ensure that pharmacies fill all legal, valid prescriptions. This bipartisan bill's chief sponsors include Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Christopher Shays (R-CT).

"Today, 98 percent of American women use birth control at some point in their reproductive lives. Americans support the values of freedom, privacy, and personal responsibility – and that means birth control should be treated as basic health care," Keenan said. "Four decades after the landmark decision in Griswold, anti-choice politicians and pressure groups are not only blocking women's access to safe, legal abortion, but they are working to restrict access to birth control. Congress can take action by passing legislation that would guarantee women access to contraception at the pharmacy counter.

"Those members who refuse to step up to protect women's freedom and privacy will have to answer to voters in November," Keenan said. "This bill is necessary because 18 states are considering or have considered measures to permit pharmacies or pharmacists to refuse to fill women's prescriptions for birth control."    

Background on the "War on Contraception"

In addition to supporting pharmacy refusals, anti-birth-control pressure groups are mounting an aggressive campaign with their friends in Congress and in the states to eliminate women's access to birth control. This war on contraception is being orchestrated by the same people blocking women's access to safe, legal abortion.

As Judie Brown, president of the American Life League, told The New York Times Magazine: ''We see a direct connection between the practice of contraception and the practice of abortion. The mind-set that invites a couple to use contraception is an antichild mind-set." Brown continued, "We oppose all forms of contraception." ["Contra-Contraception," The New York Times Magazine, May 7, 2006]

Examples of additional attacks on birth control include the following:

• Legislators in 18 states – Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin – are considering or have considered measures that would allow pharmacies or pharmacists to refuse to fill women's prescriptions for birth control.
   
• On June 7th, the Washington State Pharmacy Board endorsed a new rule that would permit pharmacists to refuse to fill any prescription based on their personal beliefs.
   
• As Bush political appointees at the FDA continue to obstruct the approval of emergency contraception over the counter, anti-choice politicians in Michigan and Missouri are already considering legislation that would require that EC be dispensed as a prescription drug only.  Anti-choice politicians are trying to limit access to EC as much as possible in the event that the FDA approves EC over the counter.
   
• Further, in Congress last month, anti-choice House leaders wouldn't even allow a vote on an amendment to ensure that emergency contraception - also known as the "morning-after" pill - is made available to military women overseas. Reps. Mike Michaud (D-ME) and Tim Ryan (D-OH), both of whom oppose legal abortion, cosponsored the proposal.
   
• Senate anti-choice leaders are trying to pass legislation that would, among other things, nullify state laws that ensure insurance plans cover birth control in the same way they cover other prescription medication like Viagra. If Congress and the president enact this law, 25 states' laws that protect women's access to birth control could be overridden.

Contact:
Ted Miller, 202.973.3032