Contraception

4 posts

Does the Definition of Conception Really Matter?

After yesterday’s SCOTUS ruling in the matter of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., wherein the highest court in the land decided 5-4 that “closely held” for-profit corporations have a right to religiously object to government regulations (because Corporations Are People Too) with regard to the “contraceptive mandate” of the Affordable Care Act, it all really came down to conception and the process of. Continue reading

A Brief History of Contraception

Today is the fortieth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Eisenstadt v. Baird, a decision that barred states from denying birth control to unmarried persons. Unlike its predecessor, Griswold v. Connecticut, Eisenstadt is a relatively uncelebrated decision, though with it, the Court validated what is now a thoroughly modern mindset about sex: that sex can be fun, and it isn’t necessarily all about baby-making. The decision extended the right to privacy to include single persons– using an equal protection argument that claimed that states cannot discriminate against unmarried people when it comes to laws restricting access to birth control. It was a victory for single men and women. Continue reading