Compare And Contrast Griswold Vs Connecticut

The Comstock Act and Griswold v. Connecticut
The New York Times published two articles, “Breaking up the Trade in Obscene Literature-What has been Done Since March” and “7-to-2 Ruling Establishes Marriage Privileges-Stirs Debate,” each about one hundred years apart. The first article, published in 1872, is in reference to the Comstock Act and the second, published in 1965, discusses the Supreme Court case Griswold v. Connecticut. By analyzing these articles, looking at the information presented and omitted by the author and looking at the connotations of the words used to describe people or events, the popular opinion of the times can be determined and compared to show a cultural shift over time. In the 1870s, leading up to the passage of

Connecticut. This decision repealed the Comstock law, making contraceptives, and discussion of contraceptives, legal. Leading up to this decision, the nation saw a wave of feminism spread across the nation. Women wanted to change how the conventional woman was portrayed and wanted to gain equal treatment in the workplace. In 1963, Betty Friedan published the book Feminine Mystique launched feminism to new heights and, that same year, the Equal Pay Act made it illegal to pay women less than men for the same job. With feminism taking over the nation, many women found a new sense of freedom. Between 1960 and 1975, the number of college women having se doubled, and with that came the demand for birth control, leading to the Griswold v. Connecticut

The first article presented only the author’s point of view and refused to say the words “birth-control” or even “contraceptives.” Sadly, it only focused on how “evil” the people were who were sending out the literature, not how these women, many of whom were likely married, simply did not want any more children and needed medication and information on how to prevent pregnancy. The second article, however, addressed the issue with a more factual approach. It seemed to accept the idea that women have the right to birth control and sex education, even if the author only discussed married people. These articles are evidence of how, in one hundred years, the nation can change its entire stance on an issue. With time, people became more accepting and open about promiscuity and birth control, finally recognizing that it is a right, and not an