Eisenstadt v. Baird
United States Supreme Court
405 U.S. 438 (1972)
Relevant factsFree
William Baird (defendant) was convicted under a Massachusetts law criminalizing distribution of contraceptives except by a registered physician to married persons, after he displayed contraceptive items during a university lecture and gave a young woman a package of spermicidal foam. He challenged his conviction against Eisenstadt (plaintiff), the sheriff responsible for enforcement; the trial court partially overturned the conviction, and the court of appeals reversed and remanded in Baird's favor.
IssueFree
Whether a state statute may permit distribution of contraceptives to married persons but not unmarried persons without violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.