The Supreme Court case Eisenstadt v. Baird was a turning point case establishing the right for individuals- married or unmarried- access to birth control. The case was cited in multiple other Supreme Court decisions regarding bodily autonomy, and set a precedent regarding the right to privacy for all. The case further deconstructed morality laws within American society, and was a turning point in the expansion of civil liberties and expressions. The immediate consequences of the decisions did not affect access to abortion, but increased access to contraceptive is shown to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies and abortions by 70% on average ​​​​​​(The Contraceptive CHOICE Project, 2007-2011).

2003, New York Times.

"I was part of the 1967 action at Boston University by birth control activist Bill Baird to challenge the law forbidding birth control for single people. By prearrangement a few of us women students took condoms and foam from him in a big auditorium full of witnesses in an act of civil disobedience. Baird was arrested, and he took that case all the way to the Supreme Court.​​​​​​​" ~ Sue Katz, Women's Liberation Explosion at BU

     The new standard for privacy for every individual, married or not, under the fourteenth amendment that resulted from this case was quoted in many other landmark Supreme Court decisions such as Roe v. Wade  which established a women’s constitutional right “to decide whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.” (Roe v. Wade, 1973), Baird v. Bellotti I and II which overturned a “state law requiring an unmarried minor to get consent of both parents or a court order before proceeding with an abortion.” (Baird v. Bellotti, 1979), the Lawrence v. Texas decision that made “same-sex sexual activity legal in every state…” (Lawrence v. Texas, 2003), and more than 50 additional Supreme Court cases that reference the Equal Protection Clause under the Fourteenth Amendment. In addition to this case, Bill Baird continued to be an influential activist and is often called the "forgotten father of the abortion rights movement" due to the lack of recognition he receives for his monumental role in feminism.

"For more than 50 years, Eisenstadt, together with Griswold, have been the legal precedents foundational to the recognition of many constitutional rights, including abortion, the rights of minors to access reproductive health care, and the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals to intimate relationships, marriage, and parenthood." ~ National Family Planning, Eisenstadt v. Baird

Jeenah Moon, 2022.

      Immediately following, contraceptives were made legal for unmarried individuals, allowing for unwanted pregnancies to be avoided and lives saved from preventing abortions. The case established the legal protections of bodily autonomy, and later helped secure the right to abortion for all women; it helped protect women across America. In spite of these protections, in modern times we see many attacks on such rights like the overturning of Roe v. Wade and calls to re-regulate contraceptives. Baird's brave actions reflect his dedication to protecting women, and should be an inspiration to future generations to continue the legacy of he and this case, and to keep fighting for our rights to autonomy.