MADISON, Wis. — Today, state legislators, healthcare providers, advocates, and community leaders gathered in the Assembly Parlor at the Wisconsin State Capitol to mark the 61st anniversary of Griswold v. Connecticut, the landmark Supreme Court decision that established the constitutional right to contraception, and to highlight growing threats to that freedom — as Wisconsin Republicans continue to block the Right to Contraception Act from receiving a committee hearing or floor vote.
Speakers discussed the importance of protecting contraception rights and reproductive privacy, and the impact that restrictions on reproductive health care can have on Wisconsin families.
Full video of the event can be downloaded via Wisconsin Eye. Photos can be downloaded here.
State Representative Lisa Subeck, author of Wisconsin’s Right to Contraception Act (AB 588/SB 589), said: “This is a scary situation. I can remember the days when people said Roe would never be overturned. It was impossible. It was unthinkable…And here we are today. Roe has been overturned. Birth control could be next, and this is why it is critical that our federal government pass a right to contraception act, and that here in the state we move forward on the bill that Senator Hesselbein and I have introduced to guarantee every single Wisconsinite the right to make personal decisions about when and if they start a family without interference from politicians.”
State Senator Kelda Roys, said: “There are extreme forces in the state and in the country that are very powerful, that have a lot of political influence, and are well funded, that would like to see birth control made illegal, and the move to to criminalize and restrict access…One of the things that chills me to the bone is to see that in other authoritarian regimes around the world, one of the first things that they do is they clamp down on reproductive freedom and on women’s autonomy, women’s ability to be in the workforce, women’s right to vote. We are seeing all of these things here in the United States”
Nicole Safar, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin, said: “We have a chance in Wisconsin, a real chance, to move into our governing era, passing policies and implementing systems that protect our rights and support our families. It’s time for Wisconsin to pass the Right to Contraception Act, the Reproductive Freedom Act, which also codifies affirmative right to abortion, and for our elected officials in every branch of government to be accountable to prioritizing the values that we know we share and the needs of women and people in Wisconsin.”
Dr. Barbara Hostetler, Retired OB-GYN, said: “Women’s lives are literally at stake, and I know that sounds dramatic, but having practiced for 38 years, I know it’s true. I’ve seen women die. I’ve never ever in my life been more concerned about the state of women’s health than I currently am…I took an oath to do no harm, and the least the legislature can do is take a vote.”
Sophia Schoenfeld, Medical Students for Choice, said: “As someone studying medicine, this conversation matters to me, because medicine works best when decisions are guided by evidence, compassion, and the needs of individual patients, and because 61 years ago Griswold recognized the principle that decisions about contraception are deeply personal and deserve protection.”
Ashwini Murthy, Medical Students for Choice, said: “Contraception is way more than preventing pregnancies, it is planning pregnancies, family planning, treatment and symptom management, and overall is very, very useful in improving the lives of any patient that uses contraception, and that is why the Right to Contraception Act must be passed.”
In his concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson, Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly called on the Court to “reconsider” Griswold — signaling that the constitutional right to contraception could be next on the chopping block. Since then, the threats have only grown:
- The Trump Administration destroyed $10 million worth of contraceptives based on false claims unsupported by science
- Republicans in Congress have repeatedly voted against the Right to Contraception Act
- At least 38 bills across 24 states could restrict or ban certain forms of contraception
- Fetal-personhood legislation — backed by House Speaker Mike Johnson — could restrict both contraception and IVF
- 121 million Americans already live in a state that restricts contraception in some way
Wisconsin’s Right to Contraception Act would enshrine state-level protections for birth control access. Republican legislative leaders have refused to advance it.
Tuesday’s press conference was part of a coordinated national day of action led by Americans for Contraception and its partners, activating on the Griswold anniversary to hold policymakers accountable and elevate the contrast between states taking action and those blocking progress.
