Griswold v. Connecticut

Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (1965), is a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court.

Connecticut law criminalized the use of contraceptives and the giving of medical advice about contraception. Estelle Griswold, executive director of the Planned Parenthood League of Connecticut, and Dr. C. Lee Buxton were arrested for providing contraceptive counseling to married couples. They challenged the law as violating constitutional rights of privacy.

Significance

Justice Douglas’s 7-2 opinion struck down the Connecticut law and established a constitutional right to privacy. While the Constitution does not explicitly mention a right to privacy, the Court found that ‘penumbras’ formed by emanations from the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Ninth Amendments create ‘zones of privacy.’ The marital relationship falls within this protected zone. Griswold laid the foundation for the privacy rights later recognized in Eisenstadt v. Baird (1972) and Roe v. Wade (1973).

Category

US Federal Case Law