[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 11795-11796]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF GRISWOLD v. CONNECTICUT ON ITS 40TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 7, 2005

  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, today, we are fortunate to be able to say 
that most Americans now take for granted the right to access and use 
birth control. Yet, the 40th anniversary of Griswold v. Connecticut, 
which first legalized the use of contraceptives, reminds us that it was 
not so long ago that this right was in great jeopardy. The importance 
and impact of this landmark decision cannot be underestimated.
  Ninety-five percent of women in the U.S. now use some form of birth 
control during their childbearing years and the number of unintended 
pregnancies has dropped significantly as a result of this widespread 
use. Thanks to the many publicly funded programs, women in all socio-
economic groups have increased access to birth control. The ability to 
control and plan for childbirth has also created considerable 
improvements in the health and well-being of women, children, and 
families. We have seen dramatic decreases in the rates of maternal and 
infant mortality, and, at the same time, dramatic increases in maternal 
and infant health. Women's ability to control their fertility has 
enabled them to enter the workforce in unprecedented numbers which has 
contributed to the overall prosperity of our national economy.
  While these successes are certainly worthy of recognition, we cannot 
lose sight of the challenges that remain. Despite the reductions in 
unintended pregnancies we've seen, the U.S. continues to have one of 
the highest rates of unintended pregnancies among Western nations. 
Among teenage girls, the rate of unintended pregnancies remains above 
75 percent and estimates show that more than one-third will become 
pregnant before the age of 20. Many barriers to widespread access to 
and use of contraceptives still exist. For instance, a number of states 
have enacted laws that allow health care providers and pharmacists to 
refuse to provide birth control. Unfortunately, under the current 
administration's ``abstinence-only'' approach to sex education, 
millions of children and adolescents each year are deprived of basic 
facts on contraception, and are instead being taught misleading 
information about reproductive health.
  It is important to honor the 40th anniversary of Griswold not only to 
recognize the many accomplishments we've made in the 40 years since 
this landmark case, but also to remind ourselves of the work we have 
yet to do. We must continue to be unrelenting in our pursuit of the 
goal of creating unencumbered universal access to and use of 
contraceptives. Given the numerous successes of the last 40 years, I'm 
confident we can succeed.

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