The Importance Of Reproductive Rights

Roe vs. Wade is one of the most controversial cases in U.S. history. The historic decision made by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973 legalized abortion on a federal level. Now more than thirty years later people all over the country are trying to overturn the decision as well as striving to keep it intact.

Yes, I do believe as Americans, we should organize for reproductive justice rather than just settling on abortion rights, birth control and reproductive rights. The reason I believe we should just settle for reproductive justice because, it’s helpful for women who have suffered greatly. It is dangerous for us if we don’t let women think for themselves. For example, women who don’t receive a good quality of education will never be able to have a bright future for themselves and their children.

During the years leading up to and after 1973, there were numerous events and situations that occurred. Before 1965, the idea of right to privacy was barely used, but Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) changed that. “The case involved a Connecticut law forbidding the use of contraceptives” (Edwards III, Wattenberg, and Lineberry 131). A doctor and a family-planner were arrested for distributing the use of contraceptives for couples in need. They were eventually brought to court by the state and were convicted. The case was taken to the Supreme Court and was later decided that everyone is entitled to their “right to privacy.” This set the precedent for Roe v. Wade because without Griswold v. Connecticut, the decision might be completely different than what it is now. A court case called Rust v. Sullivan was related to abortion. It specified that “family planning services receiving federal funds could not provide women any counseling regard abortion” (Edwards III, Wattenberg, and Lineberry 131). This decision created public scrutiny as the decision would violate the First Amendment. President Clinton eventually lifted the ban on abortion counseling as it

Griswold v. Connecticut was argued on March 28-29, 1965 and the decision of the Supreme Court was decided on June 7, 1965. It was questioned whether or not the Constitution protected the rights of marital privacy (limits government intrusion into private family matters) against restrictions for a couple to receive counseling on using contraceptives. Mrs. Griswold had given counseling to a married couple that had wanted to use birth control and it was against Connecticut law to do so. The Supreme Court’s ruling was that married couples have the right to privacy and the law was declared unconstitutional as it violated the right of privacy. Married couples have the right to private privacy.

The battle for reproductive rights began well over a hundred years ago. At a time when families were producing more children than they could afford to feed, many women were seeking primitive forms of birth control and undergoing abortions. It was in the 1860s that a postal inspector turned politician named Anthony Comstock, in partnership with the Young Men’s Christian Association, set out on a crusade to condemn all forms of birth control and any kind of abortion by claiming they violated “anti-obscenity laws” (Baer). These men eventually succeeded and created the Comstock Laws in 1873 that prohibited all “sales, advertising, or information on birth control” (Baer).

Nevertheless, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Griswold, and her claim that the state contraceptive law was unconstitutional.

The, 1973, Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision stated that the current state laws, banning abortion all together, violated a woman's Due Process Clause, which

In Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) the United States Supreme Court affirmed that the first amendment and fourteenth amendment gave American citizens certain freedoms, such as the right to privacy. In turn, the Court struck down the Connecticut birth control ban, and forbade the government from making laws that interfere with the personal matters of married couples and their physician. However, more importantly, in the Court’s majority opinion, it relied on decided cases that used the Bill of Rights to validate the right of privacy even though this right is never explicitly written in the Constitution. Even so, the Griswold v. Connecticut decision has served as a precedent for other monumental cases like Roe v. Wade (1973), while upholding a

Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), a case involving the right to privacy, had to go through uncharted territory. A Connecticut statute prohibited the use of contraceptives both by married and unmarried persons. The statute also prohibited anyone from helping couples obtain contraceptives. Griswold provided information as to preventing contraception and was fined as an accessory under the statute. The case was brought to Supreme Court where they ruled in Griswold’s favor.

Feminist recognized the opportunity the pill gave to gaining equality with men and disputed laws that provided contraceptives for only married couples. Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965 and Massachusetts v. Baird in 1972 are two cases that helped to increase the availability of contraceptives in the United States. In the case of Griswold v. Connecticut a lawyer was convicted by the state of connecticut for giving contraceptives to a married couple. The Connecticut law that prohibited the use of birth control stated:

This reversed the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision that upheld the doctrine of "separate but equal" (US History). The Judiciary Branch has settled many famous cases. Miranda v. Arizona, 1966, which was a 5-4 decision, noted that Prisoners must be advised of their rights before being questioned by police. Additionally, Roe v. Wade, 1973, a 7-2 decision, ruled that women have a constitutional right to an abortion during the first two trimesters

In 1973, the US Supreme Court declared abortion a nationwide fundamental right through a trial called Roe vs. Wade and protected this right underneath the Fourteenth Amendment, more specifically, the right to privacy. A basic human right, especially one outlined by the Supreme Court, must never run at risk or threat chiefly because not everyone agrees with it. Under no circumstances should a pregnancy ever adjudge mandatory. Abortion is a Constitutional right and as a nation we must fight to give the right and freedom of safe abortions to women all around the nation, make birth control and sex education accessible to women, and raise awareness about the topic itself. (LawCornell)

With a lack of focus on the federal government, people pushed for a woman’s choice in the process and as a result, local organizations opened for pro-choice or pro-life movement. It raised awareness on local issues and gave more rights to the individual over the federal government. This proved that people started to become more reliant on them and wanted more say in everyday issues, whereas, in the 1950s, nobody would have challenged the

Women’s reproductive rights are a global issue in today’s world. Women have to fight to have the right to regulate their own bodies and reproductive choices, although in some countries their voices are ignored. Abortion, sterilization, contraceptives, and family planning services all encompass this global issue of women’s reproductive rights.

-In 1968 the Supreme Court decided the Griswold case, stating that the government had no right to interfere in reproductive issues within a marriage.