On the 47th Anniversary of Supreme Court Decision on Right to Contraception, Protecting Access to Birth Control Is Key Campaign Issue
For Immediate Release: Jan. 27, 2013
New York — Today marks the 47th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that transformed women’s lives, and established that a woman’s reproductive decisions were protected by the Constitution. The 1965 landmark case Griswold v. Connecticut struck down a Connecticut law that made the use of birth control by married couples illegal and is credited with paving the way for the nearly unanimous acceptance of contraception that now exists in this country.
Showing just how out-of-touch he is with women’s lives, when Mitt Romney was asked about the Griswold case in a January GOP debate, he responded by saying that he thought Griswold v. Connecticut was decided incorrectly.
“Griswold v. Connecticut is a powerful reminder about the importance of access to birth control,” says Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “It is unbelievable that nearly 50 years later, some politicians like Mitt Romney are actively campaigning to limit access to birth control.”
Planned Parenthood Action Fund also released a new video today, with some of Romney's own statements about the Griswold ruling and access to affordable birth control.
Ninety-nine percent of sexually active women have used birth control at some point in their lives.
Romney also opposes a key benefit of the Affordable Care Act — coverage of birth control without co-pays, denying millions of women and families access to the affordable care they need. He has also pledged to “get rid” of Planned Parenthood, which would mean cutting access to the health care that nearly three million people a year rely on — including birth control and other preventive care.
“In these tough economic times, it is vital that we expand access to affordable health care. What Mitt Romney can’t seem to grasp is that for many women birth control is as much an economic issue as a health care issue, said Richards.
An average woman can pay between $180 and $600 a year for birth control.
To educate women across the country about where politicians stand on key women’s health issues, including birth control, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund launched the Women are Watching campaign. As a result, women across the country are watching Mitt Romney play politics with women’s health, and in November women will vote to protect access to their care.