How did the 14th Amendment help Griswold v. Connecticut?

Asked by: Dr. Raphael Jacobs  |  Last update: January 29, 2026
Score: 4.6/5 (48 votes)

In Griswold v. Connecticut, the 14th Amendment's Due Process Clause was used to protect an implied right to marital privacy, establishing that states couldn't ban contraception for married couples by finding this right within the "penumbras" (zones) created by various Bill of Rights amendments, including the Ninth and Fourteenth, forming a zone of privacy for intimate marital decisions. While the majority cited several amendments, concurring justices, like Goldberg and Harlan, directly pointed to the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments as the basis for protecting unenumerated rights like privacy from government intrusion.

How was the 14th Amendment used in Griswold v. Connecticut?

The Supreme Court concluded that the Connecticut law, as applied to married couples, violated the Fourteenth Amendment because their use of contraception fell within the “zone of privacy” protected by various guarantees in the Bill of Rights.

How has the right to privacy changed because of Griswold and Row?

The Supreme Court has increased or expanded the right to privacy. Originally, the right applied to the privacy of one's own thoughts and the freedom to be left alone. After the landmark cases Griswold and Roe, privacy then included the right to control one's own body and family and home life.

How did the ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut start the debate?

The ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) started the debate over reproductive rights by. The Supreme Court overturned a Connecticut law that forbade the use of contraceptives on the grounds that it interfered upon the right to marital privacy.

What was the Griswold v. Connecticut case dealing with quizlet?

7-2 in favor of privacy (Griswold). A couple has the right of privacy concerning the issue of use of contraceptives, and planned parenthoods thus have the right to teach couples about the different methods and uses of different contraceptives. This decision was pivotal in helping other issues pass.

How Birth Control Became Legal | Griswold v. Connecticut

32 related questions found

What was the impact of the Griswold-Connecticut ruling?

Connecticut case established — for the first time — a constitutional right to privacy regarding reproductive decisions that paved the way for the legalization of birth control for unmarried couples, and ultimately, Roe v. Wade and safe and legal abortion.

What Court case established the right to privacy?

In the context of American jurisprudence, the Supreme Court first recognized the “right to privacy” in Griswold v. Connecticut (1965).

What was the decision of Griswold v. Connecticut?

On June 7, 1965, the Supreme Court issued its famous Griswold v. Connecticut decision and struck down Connecticut's 86-year-old Comstock law. By a vote of 7 to 2, the Court held that the law unconstitutionally invaded the privacy rights of married couples.

When did married couples gain the right to use birth control?

The first major Supreme Court test of reproductive rights came in Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965, challenging the state's 1879 prohibition against the prescription, sale, or use of contraceptives, even for married couples.

Why is Griswold v. Connecticut important to Apush?

Griswold v. Connecticut significantly influenced the interpretation of individual rights by establishing that certain personal choices, such as the use of contraceptives within marriage, are protected from government interference.

Did the case Griswold v. Connecticut recognize the right to use as part of the privacy rights?

In 1965, the United States Supreme Court issued its landmark decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, ruling that a married couple has a right of privacy that cannot be infringed upon by a state law making it a crime to use contraceptives.

Which amendment does the right to privacy come from?

Constitutional Amendments – Amendment 4 – “The Right to Privacy” Amendment Four to the Constitution was ratified on December 15, 1791. It protects the American people from unreasonable searches and seizures.

How has the right to privacy changed because of Griswold and Roe Brainly?

Griswold v. Connecticut and Roe v. Wade transformed the right to privacy by protecting personal decisions in family planning and reproductive rights. Griswold established privacy in marital contraception, while Roe extended it to abortion.

How did Griswold v. Connecticut expand the protections of the Constitution?

In Griswold v. Connecticut, the Court identified a constitutionally protected right to privacy, which the court reasoned prohibited states from denying birth control to married couples.

What was the impact of the Griswold v. Connecticut ruling couples were required to keep marriage vows private couples were allowed to keep their mar?

This established an important precedent for the right to privacy, which would later influence other significant cases, including Roe v. Wade in 1973, which addressed abortion rights. Therefore, the correct answer to what the impact of the ruling was: 'Couples were allowed to keep their marriage decisions private.

Who dissented in Griswold v. Connecticut?

Justice Black, joined by Justice Stewart, dissented. Unpersuaded by the loose reasoning of the majority, Black felt that there was no way to infer that the Constitution contained a right to privacy.

How did Griswold impact reproductive rights?

The origins of the Court's involvement with reproductive rights can be traced to Griswold v Connecticut (381 US 479 [1965]), which established a constitutional right to marital privacy in the use of contraceptives.

When did condoms become legal?

In 1918, just before the end of the war, an American court overturned a conviction against Margaret Sanger. In this case, the judge ruled that condoms could be legally advertised and sold for the prevention of disease.

Were birth control pills ever illegal?

In 1965, the Supreme Court ruled in Griswold v. Connecticut that it was unconstitutional for the government to prohibit married couples from using birth control. Also in 1965, 26 states prohibited birth control for unmarried women.

What was the legacy of Griswold v. Connecticut?

Connecticut, the landmark Supreme Court decision that granted married people the right to contraception. The Court extended the right to unmarried persons in 1972. The Griswold decision was a pivotal moment in history, allowing millions to enjoy the health, economic, and social benefits of contraception.

What was the majority decision in Griswold v. Connecticut quizlet?

Connecticut. Griswold v. Connecticut from 1965 was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protects the liberty of married couples to use contraceptives without government restriction.

Did Griswold v. Connecticut use strict scrutiny?

It is extremely rare that any law survives strict scrutiny, and in Griswold, Connecticut's prohibition on birth control was no different. The government's interest in prohibiting birth control was neither absolutely necessary nor narrowly tailored to a legitimate government interest.

How does the 14th Amendment protect privacy?

The Supreme Court, however, beginning as early as 1923 and continuing through its recent decisions, has broadly read the "liberty" guarantee of the Fourteenth Amendment to guarantee a fairly broad right of privacy that has come to encompass decisions about child rearing, procreation, marriage, and termination of ...

What amendments were used in Griswold v. Connecticut?

By broadly interpreting the first, third, fourth, and fifth amendments, the majority found contraception to be an inexplicit protected right of privacy similarly to the protected right for parents to decide how to raise their children as noted in Meyer v. Nebraska.

What case did the 14th Amendment overturn?

The decision of Scott v. Sandford, considered by many legal scholars to be the worst ever rendered by the Supreme Court, was overturned by the 13th and 14th amendments to the Constitution, which abolished slavery and declared all persons born in the United States to be citizens of the United States.