WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter (NY-28) and Congresswoman Diana DeGette (CO-01), co-chairs of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus today commemorated the 47th Anniversary of the groundbreaking Griswold v. Connecticut Supreme Court decision. The 1965 ruling affirmed the right of married couples to use contraception and laid the foundation for Title X funding for family planning programs.

“At a time when the basic rights of Americans, particularly women, are under direct assault by factions determined to wipe out decades of progress, it is fitting that we commemorate this historic ruling,” said Slaughter. “The Supreme Court's decision in Griswold affirms the right to privacy and the authority of married couples to make intensely personal family planning decisions. The anniversary of this important decision should be a reminder to all of us of how far we have come as a nation and the degree to which our personal rights and freedoms have been expanded over the last several decades. We must remain vigilant and committed to preserving those rights and ensuring that we never allow those freedoms to be curtailed.”

“47 years ago the Supreme Court affirmed a woman’s right to plan her family with her partner and take control of a fundamental part of her health care,” said DeGette.  “As much as we celebrate that great milestone today, we are also astonished that several decades later, we are once again fighting for women’s access to full reproductive care.  The Griswold decision paved the way for Title X funding of family planning programs and was invaluable to women’s health care in our great nation.  I hope that those who now seek to restrict access to birth control take a minute today to reflect on how Griswold and Title X have improved women’s health and strengthened our society over nearly fifty years.”

Title X, established in 1970, is the only federally funded mechanism that provides family planning and related services to more than five million American men and women.  Title X clinics provide patient education and counseling; breast and pelvic examinations; breast and cervical cancer screenings; sexually transmitted disease (STD) and HIV prevention education, counseling, testing and referral; and pregnancy diagnosis and counseling.

Unfortunately, in the 112th Congress, House Republican Leadership have repeatedly attacked Title X funding, including unprecedented efforts to completely defund Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest provider of family planning and comprehensive women’s health care. These attacks have been part of a larger assault with nine anti-women’s health care votes occurring since the Congress began.

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