[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 8158]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          FORTY-EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY OF GRISWOLD v. CONNECTICUT

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Madam President, I rise today to recognize the 48th 
anniversary of the landmark Griswold v. Connecticut Supreme Court 
decision. Nearly 50 years ago, the Court greatly expanded women's 
access to health care by legalizing the use of contraception by married 
couples, basing this decision on a fundamental right to privacy in 
family planning decisions made between a man and a wife.
  We have come a long way since 1965. Today, options for birth control 
are safer, more effective, and available to far more people than just 
married couples. The simple facts are that 99 percent of women will use 
contraceptives over the course of their lifetime, and the vast majority 
of Americans find the use of contraceptives morally acceptable. This 
progress shows just how important contraceptive products and services 
have become to our country.
  Preserving this access should be a noncontroversial, bipartisan 
issue. And yet access to contraceptives and to Federal programs such as 
title X that support reproductive health care services are under attack 
not only by the loud voices of a small minority but also by some 
Members of Congress and in the courts. We have an alarming situation on 
our hands. Now more than ever, it is important that we continue to 
fight back against these outrageous attacks and talk about these issues 
in terms of the proven scientific facts.
  As a U.S. Senator, I have remained dedicated to helping protect a 
woman's right to direct her reproductive health care, a battle that I 
also fought for years as attorney general in Connecticut. I challenged 
both the Bush administration and the Obama administration on their 
policies related to a Federal rule that interfered with State laws 
protecting access to birth control and reproductive health services.
  Having served on both the State and Federal levels, I see how 
critically important the right to contraception is to our economy, our 
families, and our society as a whole. Whether the threat comes from a 
Federal law overstepping States' jurisdiction or from a State law 
violating constitutional rights--as was the case in Griswold v. 
Connecticut--we must continue to protect the right to safe, 
comprehensive birth control.

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