FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 4, 2021
Contact: Audrey Sandusky, (202) 344-5805, asandusky@nfprha.org

NFPRHA Commemorates 56th Anniversary of Supreme Court Case on Legal Access to Contraception

WASHINGTON, DC – Next week marks the 56th anniversary of the US Supreme Court's landmark decision in Griswold v. Connecticut that legalized the use of contraception for married people and first recognized an individual’s right to privacy in family planning matters. Griswold v. Connecticut paved the way for all people to have access to the family planning care they need and led to the creation of the Title X family planning program in 1970.

“Griswold is one of the most influential decisions of our time ushering in a new era for reproductive health in this country. As we reflect on the legacy of this landmark Supreme Court case, we must also recognize that the work to secure equal access to family planning and sexual health care for all is far from finished.”

The Trump administration’s Title X rule prompted a disastrous unraveling of the nation’s family planning safety net and decimated access to care. The latest estimates show that at least 1,300 health centers have withdrawn from the Title X program in the past two years, and only 1.5 million people received Title X-supported services in 2020, compared to almost 4 million in 2018. The Biden administration announced in March that it expects to finalize new rulemaking to lay the foundation to rebuild the program in fall 2021.

“The 2019 Title X rule is jeopardizing people’s sexual and reproductive health and effectively tarnishing the legacy of Griswold. We are encouraged by and grateful for the Biden administration’s commitment to improving access to family planning and sexual health care for all and call on Congress to advance an appropriations bill that funds Title X at $737 million for fiscal year 2022.”