A bit of history: On June 7, 1965 the Supreme Court legalized contraceptive use by married couples.
Until then states could and did have laws prohibiting the use of contraceptives by everyone, including married couples. In Griswold vs. Connecticut the Court ruled that state statutes prohibiting the use of contraceptives by married people was contrary to the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which states, “no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law…nor deny any person the equal protection of the laws,” (Amendment 14 Section 1). The U.S. Supreme Court concluded that the Connecticut Statute was unconstitutional.
It took seven more years for the Supreme Court to declare it unconstitutional for states to prohibit contraceptive use by unmarried couples.
If you think what happened to our family planning clinic is just three nuts in the commissioners’ seats, it would be good for you to read the following article in Time Magazine:
http://ideas.time.com/2012/01/30/birth-control-could-it-be-illegal-again/
Family planning is NOT a partisan issue. But it is an issue for a wacky segment of our society. Unfortunately, they’ve managed to make some headway in Ravalli County. One way or the other, we need to make sure their “success” is not lasting.
On that cheery note…
Pat Tucker
Hamilton