Reproductive Rights

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Digital Collections - ContentDM
CSL Digital Collections - CTDA
Connecticut State Library (CSL) digital items in the Connecticut Digital Archive (CTDA)
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Other institutions' collections may be searched from CTDA home page.
CT State Archives Finding Aids

CT was one of the first, if not the first, state to prohibit the administration of a "deadly poison, or other noxious and destructive substance, with an intention ... to cause or procure the miscarriage of any woman, then being quick with child" (1821 Statutes, Title 22, page 152) The person administering the poison (not the woman) could be imprisoned for life at Newgate, or for such other term as the court determined. --from LLR Uncommon Knowledge, D. Jernigan, December 2002

Articles, Newspapers, Databases

Margaret Sanger and the Birth Control Movement: Topics in Chronicling America
"Womens' rights activist, Margaret Sanger spearheaded the U.S. birth control movement in the early 20th century. This guide provides access to material related to "Margaret Sanger" in the Chronicling America digital collection of historic newspapers."
The Right to Privacy
From CT Judicial Branch Libraries' Tapping the Scales of Justice - A Dose of Connecticut Legal History
Connecticut Women Fight for Reproductive Rights
By Barbara Sicherman. Connecticut Explored Inc., Fall 2017
Science.gov
Site: "Science.gov searches over 60 databases and over 2,200 scientific websites to provide users with access to more than 200 million pages of authoritative federal science information including research and development results."
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Site: "Science.gov is a gateway to U.S. government science information. The portal offers free access to research and development (R&D) results and scientific and technical information from scientific organizations across 13 federal agencies.
Science.gov makes it possible for users to search over 60 databases, over 2,200 websites, and over 200 million pages of authoritative federal science information in many formats, including full-text documents, citations, scientific data supporting federally funded research, and multimedia.
Science.gov is becoming a federal public access portal consistent with its original purpose and current vision and goals. It is making available free journal articles, peer-reviewed accepted manuscripts, and reports of research funded by federal science agencies, as well as the agencies’ public access policies and requirements.
In addition, Science.gov now offers information from across the federal government on education and training opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields for undergraduate and graduate students."

Legal

Connecticut

PA 22-19 An Act Concerning The Provision Of Protections For Persons Receiving And Providing Reproductive Health Care Services In The State And Access To Reproductive Health Care Services In The State
• To provide protections for persons receiving and providing reproductive health care services in the state.

Connecticut Historical Statutes

Connecticut was one of the first, if not the first, state to prohibit the administration of a "deadly poison, or other noxious and destructive substance, with an intention ... to cause or procure the miscarriage of any woman, then being quick with child" (1821 Statutes, Title 22, page 152) The person administering the poison (not the woman) could be imprisoned for life at Newgate, or for such other term as the court determined. --from LLR Uncommon Knowledge, D. Jernigan, December 2002

Much earlier laws (ca. 1702) related to the concealment of the birth and/or death of a bastard child are found in the CT statute compilations under "Bastardy" or "Crimes."--from LLR Uncommon Knowledge, D. Jernigan, December 2002

1821 Title 20, Sec. 14
From HathiTrust
1830 Conn.Laws. Ch. 1 (Sec.) 16, at 255 (1830)
amended to include any means (after quickening)
1860 Conn. Pub. Act. Ch. LXXI (sec) 1
any attempt to induce abortion on any women - whether or not actually pregnant, with exception to save life of woman. Punishment reduced to 1-5 yrs imprisonment.

Law: 1879 CT law Banned birth control in Connecticut

Articles

"Abortion: Litigative and Legislative Processes" by Roy Lucas, Richard D. Lamm, Lorraine Beebe, Cecil Poole and Dexter L. Handley. Human Rights. Vol. 1, No. 2 (July 1971), pp. 23-53 (31 pages). JSTOR https://www.jstor.org/stable/27878934 states 1821 CT Public Act was first U.S. abortion statute (on pages 33-34). Article also covers brief history of abortion and laws - going back to a Chinese recipe going back to 27th century B.C. England passed a law against abortion in 1803. 1860s saw laws against abortion before quickening. (p.36)
"Abortion: Reform and the Law" Author(s): Loren G. Stern. Source: The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, and Police Science , Mar., 1968, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Mar., 1968), pp. 84-95 Published by: Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1142153 mentions the 1821 law, with life imprisonment as punishment.

Federal

Executive Order on Advancing Women’s Health Research and Innovation
MARCH 18, 2024 - Pres. Biden

Comstock Law 17 Stat. 598

Federal government regulation of morality. "An Act for the Suppression of Trade in, and Circulation of, obscene Literature and Articles of immoral Use." Contraception was included.

Archives

Betty Hudson papers (RG069:175)
This is a link to the CT State Archives finding aid for Identifier: RG069_175
This collection is comprised of papers relating to Betty Hudson's career as a local and state politician and a human services employee, as well as her personal views on feminist and social issues such as gender titles, sexual assault, domestic violence, child support, gay rights, disabled rights, and equal rights. The collection contains personal and political papers, bill files, campaign files, clippings, editorials, correspondence, photographs, publications, and artifacts.
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Scope and Content: The papers were arranged into eight series which reflect the legislative and political career, civic and community activism, and personal views of Betty Hudson.
See finding aid for description by series.
Permanent Commission on the Status of Women (RG176) Finding Aid for what is in CT State Archives. Items are not necessarily online. Overview The General Assembly created the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women in 1973. The Commission was charged to work to eliminate sex discrimination within the state. Dates: 1972-1993
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The General Assembly created the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW) in 1973. The Commission was charged to work to eliminate sex discrimination within the state. The Commission’s first task was to review existing statutes to ensure conformity with the 1974 state equal rights amendment. It continues its efforts to ensure equal employment, housing, credit, and educational opportunities for the state’s women. In addition to its legislative efforts, the PCSW assists individuals who believe they have suffered sex discrimination in employment and other areas. The PCSW offers advice on legal rights and assists with filing formal complaints with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (RG 154). Records include materials created by the Executive Director, Public Information Office, Legislative Coordinator, Office Manager, and Intake Officer. The collection includes administrative files, correspondence, reports, subject files, photographs, newspaper clippings, and financial records.
Executive Order 56
EO_56_Discrimination. Gender identity
Gov. Malloy
Social Justice Thematic Collection in CTDA
Connecticut Digital Archive (CTDA) - Connecticut History Illustrated Featured Topics
Department of Public Health, 1799-2014, bulk 1887-2014. (RG016)
Archives Finding Aid.
Overview The Department of Public Health is the State's lead agency in public health policy and advocacy.
Dates: 1799-2014; Majority of material found within , 1877-2014
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In 1878, the General Assembly established a State Board of Health mandated to “take cognizance of the interests of health and life” of the people of Connecticut. It made sanitary investigations to inquire into and report on the causes of disease and the sources of mortality. It distributed sanitary information to local boards of health and compiled data submitted by these boards. It also had supervision of birth, death, and marriage registrations. Today the Department of Public Health is the State’s lead agency in public health policy and advocacy. Its major program areas include prevention/education, regulation, planning, emergency medical services, and local health administration.
Women in Colonial Connecticut
Blog post by Sarah Morin on July 13th, 2021. Discusses legal status of women in Colonial Connecticut.
Gender Roles (CHI Featured Topics)
Connecticut History Illustrated (CHI) collection may include items from CSL Archives.
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Connecticut History Illustrated (CHI) : "From colonial times and into the twentieth century, significant differences characterized what were considered the appropriate respective roles of men and women. Before the effects of the Industrial Revolution were felt in Connecticut in the early nineteenth century, the primarily agricultural economy encouraged a division of labor that fell along traditional lines. Women managed the household, but were also active contributors to the economic well-being of the family. Depending on their social, educational and economic status, men had access to a range of work and professional opportunities; they retained most legal rights, and had exclusive access to political participation and public office. Over the course of the nineteenth and into the early twentieth centuries, industrialization and a shift from family farms to cultivation of more specialized crops, such as tobacco, drew women of lesser means as well as immigrants to factory and agricultural work. Middle- and upper-class women were generally relegated to the “domestic sphere,” but many pursued careers in education and some became pioneers in other fields. Women were active in social causes such as abolition, temperance, and movements that promoted the advancement of their own political and legal rights, such as suffrage. Attitudes about what were the appropriate roles and activities of men and women, and to what extent to maintain separation of the sexes in certain areas of life, changed over the course of the twentieth century, with two world wars and the civil and women’s rights movements accelerating the process. To find more resources about gender roles as evidenced in Connecticut history, use the topic headings and other keywords within records to extend your searches--terms such as “coeducation,” “masculin*,” “women’s rights,” (enclosing phrases in quotes, and using an * to allow for singular, plural or other forms), and the names of individuals, groups, or organizations. Exploring the collections to which individual items belong can be another way to find more items of interest."
Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (RG154)
CT State Archives Finding Aid. 1944-2002
These records are restricted by confidentiality issues. Researchers must obtain prior approval before submitting a retrieval request. Contact History and Genealogy (H&G) staff for further information.
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In 1943, the General Assembly created the first state race relations board in the nation, known as the Interracial Commission. Over the years, the agency’s name has changed, and today it is called the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. CHRO seeks to eliminate discrimination based on race, sexual preference, gender, age, or religion in Connecticut by enforcing statutes, monitoring state agencies’ affirmative action plans and reports, and engaging in advocacy and public education.