united-states marriage us-supreme-court reference-request connecticut
What was the 1879 law that Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) overturned?
<p><a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/381/479/" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>Griswold v. Connecticut</em></a> (1965) overturned an 1879 Connecticut law that forbade married couples from using contraceptives. What was that law, exactly?</p>

<p><a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/381/479/#480" rel="noreferrer">The opinion</a> quotes the statute:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>§53-32 (1958 rev.)</p>
<p>Any person who uses any drug, medicinal article or instrument for the
purpose of preventing conception shall be fined not less than fifty
dollars or imprisoned not less than sixty days nor more than one year
or be both fined and imprisoned.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>There is still <a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_939.htm#secs_53-24_to_53-33" rel="noreferrer">a stub</a> in the Connecticut statutes indicating that the statute was repealed.</p>

<p>It's quoted in the majority opinion of the case, <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/381/479/#480" rel="noreferrer">p. 381</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The statutes whose constitutionality is involved in this appeal are §§ 53-32 and 54-196 of the <em>General Statutes of Connecticut</em> (1958 rev.). The former provides:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Any person who uses any drug, medicinal article or instrument for the purpose of preventing conception shall be fined not less than fifty dollars or imprisoned not less than sixty days nor more than one year or be both fined and imprisoned.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Section 54-196 provides:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Any person who assists, abets, counsels, causes, hires or commands another to commit any offense may be prosecuted and punished as if he were the principal offender.</p>
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
