Government and state laws both hindered the right of women over the contraception issue. The issue of birth control and the accessibility of contraceptive had always been an issue in America, especially within the poorer families who could not afford ‘under the counter’ contraceptives or illegal ‘back street abortions’. Before 1873, contraceptives were available for purchase in pharmacies across America. It was not until the Comstock Laws (1873), which were a collection if federal and state laws, which made contraceptives or any information and advice about them illegal, were introduced; this dramatically hindered women’s rights as birth control, was a major issue throughout the period. The Comstock Laws were effectively ended in 1938, when the federal ban on birth control was lifted. However, states continued to hinder women’s right by enforcing their own state laws on contraception.
It was not until the case of Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) that the Supreme Court finally overturned the state laws about contraception. The Supreme Court’s decision that the use of contraceptives rested within a couple’s ‘right of privacy’ within the terms of the constitution, helped further women’s right. This decision finally helped women across America by firmly establishing that it was a women’s right to decide about whether or not to use contraception.
President Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal’ policies were intended to help save America and help those who needed it. However, these policies were biased towards the male breadwinner and did little to help women’s right, were women did benefit, it was intended to address wider social and economic issues. The Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) did set up new minimum wage levels, which