Griswold v. Connecticut
The Court held that a ban on contraceptive use violated a right to privacy emanating from the Bill of Rights.
Overview
Connecticut law criminalized the use of contraceptives, and Planned Parenthood executive Estelle Griswold was convicted for counseling married couples. Justice Douglas, for the majority, found that specific guarantees of the Bill of Rights have penumbras formed by emanations that create zones of privacy, drawing on the First, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Ninth Amendments. Several justices concurred on varying grounds, yet together they established a constitutional privacy right. Griswold became the doctrinal foundation for later decisions on contraception for unmarried persons, abortion in Roe, and same-sex marriage in Obergefell.
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