Fifty years ago in its landmark Griswold v. Connecticut decision, the Supreme Court ruled that states could not ban birth control. That same year, a group of people gathered in a church parlor and launched Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. As we prepare to celebrate the group’s 50th anniversary, I wonder if the founders had any idea how much we would still need the advocacy and care it provides half a century later.

The fight for affordable and accessible birth control continues on Thursday at the State House. Lawmakers on the Health and Human Services Committee will consider a bill (L.D. 319) to provide critical health care services, including birth control, to 13,000 low-income women who otherwise would not be able to access this care.

Sponsored by Rep. Joyce McCreight, D-Harpswell, the measure also would save the state millions in costs associated with unintended pregnancy. The harsh reality is that low-income women are more than five times as likely to experience an unintended pregnancy because they have limited access to birth control, or simply can’t afford it. The cost to the state of these unintended pregnancies is $11 million per year in associated health care costs.

And the costs for women and their families are even greater. Unplanned pregnancies are linked to higher rates of poverty, less family stability, and worse outcomes for children.

We can break this cycle by passing McCreight’s bill. L.D. 319 is a win for Maine women, Maine families and Maine taxpayers.

My state senator, Earle McCormick, R-West Gardiner, sits on the Health and Human Services Committee, and I hope he will join many of his colleagues in standing up for Maine women, affordable health care and fiscal responsibility by supporting this bill.

Amy Cookson

Winthrop