PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND AND SPECIAL GUESTS COMMEMORATED 50th ANNIVERSARY OF GRISWOLD V. CONNECTICUT IN NEW HAVEN, CT

On October 29, PPSNE, Cecile Richards and other special guests celebrated with an unforgettable event.

(New Haven, Conn.) — On Thursday, October 29, 2015, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) hosted a 50^th Anniversary Celebration of the Griswold v. Connecticut Supreme Court decision.

A sold-out crowd of supporters and allies filled the Long Wharf Theatre in  New Haven, Connecticut to celebrate the 50^th Anniversary and to hear from prolific and profound champions of women’s health, including guest speakers Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders, former U.S. Surgeon General and Jonathan Eig, New York Times best-selling author.

“What an amazing night. We are so grateful to all our guests for the outpouring of support they showed us. This was truly a special night our supporters, allies and friends won’t soon forget,” said Judy Tabar President & CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. “Estelle Griswold fought hard for women’s access and rights, and we are proud to carry on her legacy. Just as all those involved in the Griswold case knew they could make a difference, I know that together we have, and will continue to build a future where all women can fully pursue their dreams, wherever they may lead.”

On June 7, 1965, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that the Connecticut law banning the distribution of birth control methods or information violated the constitutional right to marital privacy. The landmark court decision Griswold v. Connecticut provided the first constitutional protection for birth control and paved the way for the nearly unanimous acceptance of contraception that now exists in this country. The legacy of the Griswold decision has had a profound impact on social and political change through the United States, including influencing the Supreme Court cases Roe v. Wade in 1973, which made abortion safe and legal, and Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015, which guaranteed the fundamental right to marry to same-sex couples.

A sold-out crowd of 200 people heard a rousing discussion on the future of women’s health from three remarkable individuals. Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, is a nationally respected leader in the field of women’s health and reproductive rights. “We’re at a 40 year low for teen pregnancy in the United States because of better access, information, sex ed and birth control,” Richards said.

Elders was the 15^th U.S. Surgeon General, and the first African-American woman to hold that post. “We’ve got to educate and empower. You can’t keep an ignorant community healthy,” Elders said. “The best contraception in the world is a good education.”

Eig is the New York Times best-selling author of The Birth of The Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution. “The creation of the birth control pill changed the world,” Eig said.

The event raised more than $85,000. All proceeds from Cocktails, Conversation, & the Court will go to care for PPSNE patients who receive high quality health care, regardless of their ability to pay. Annually, PPSNE serves more than 70,000 women, men and teens, providing a range of critical, life-saving health care services, including breast cancer screenings, Pap tests, birth control, and STD/STI testing and treatment.

For more information, visit ppsne.org.

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Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) is one of the region’s largest providers of family planning and reproductive health care services. Since 1923, PPSNE has evolved into an organization with 18 health centers in Connecticut and Rhode Island, delivering care to nearly 70,000 patients annually, and 90 percent of the services provided are preventive.