Eisenstadt v Baird
What it is
Bill Baird, a reproductive rights activist, gave a speech at Boston University on birth control and over-population. Afterward, he gave vaginal foam (a form of BC) to a woman in the crowd and Massachusetts charged him with a felony; distributing birth control to unmarried people. At that time, only doctors could distribute them, and only married couples could have access to any form of contraception.
The court struck down Massachusetts law since the law’s differentiation between single and married people didn’t pass a rational basis test under the equal protection clause.
Who was involved
Bill Baird: defendant, charged with a felony.
Joseph D. Tydings: argued for Baird
Joseph R Nolan: argued against Baird
What was the result
The supreme court ruled that preventing unmarried couples was unconstitutional. They found it in violation of the equal protection clause in the fourteenth amendment. This ruling gives unmarried people the right to contraception.