Forty-Eighth Anniversary of Griswold V. Connecticut

Floor Speech

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, 48 years ago on June 5, the U.S. Supreme Court made a landmark ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut, which legalized birth control for married couples in all 50 States and paved the way for women and men to have legal access to contraception.

The Justices' decision not only recognized birth control as a right protected under our Constitution, but empowered women and families to make decisions in the best interest of their health and well-being.

In fact, access to birth control has had such a dramatic impact on women and families in this country that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention named it one of the top 10 public health achievements of the past century, along with vaccinations and adding fluoride to water.

Family planning and contraceptive services give women and couples the ability to determine timing of births and family size.

Research shows that having smaller families and spacing out births improve the health of children and women.

Access to contraception also improves the economic and social well-being of women.

Contraception allows young women to postpone pregnancy until they finish school, secure a good job, and are as ready as any parent can be to start a family.

The benefits of contraception help not only women, but their children.

When parents have prepared themselves financially and mentally to love and support a child, the child reaps all the benefits.

While the Supreme Court's 1965 ruling on Griswold v. Connecticut paved the way for legalizing contraception, the Federal Government has played a key role in expanding access to family planning services.

In 1970, under President Nixon, title X was created and remains the only dedicated source of Federal funding for family planning services in the U.S.

Title X provides critical family planning and preventive health care to 5.2 million low-income and uninsured women and men across the country.

Title X services prevent nearly 1 million unintended pregnancies each year, almost half of which would otherwise end in abortion.

In 1972, 2 years after the creation of title X, Medicaid funding for family planning was authorized.

Last year, a key provision of the health care reform law took effect that builds on the legacy of Griswold v. Connecticut.

New health insurance plans will now cover a range of preventive health services, including contraception services, at no cost.

The annual cost of birth control pills can range from $160 to $600. For many women, that expense has been a barrier to accessing basic health care.

Over the last 48 years, we have made tremendous progress ensuring women have access to quality health care and are free to make decisions about their own health.

As we remember Griswold v. Connecticut, we must remember those who fought to ensure access to contraception. We must protect personal freedoms and defend our Nation from efforts to undermine access to basic health care.

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