The commemoration last week at the BU School of
Law of Massachusetts' Right to Privacy Day featured
a talk by Bill Baird, who recalled his explosive
appearance at BU 32 years ago. Baird had been
invited by the editors of the BU News to speak to
students about birth control, and on April 6, 1967,
he lectured to a crowd of some 2,500 in Hayden
Hall. At the time, contraceptives were available
only to married couples older than 21. Some 45
minutes into his speech, Baird was arrested in
front of the students and television crews by
Boston vice squad officers and was later convicted
and imprisoned for "crimes against chastity."
Baird's conviction was overturned by the U.S.
Supreme Court in the 1972 case Baird v. Eisenstadt.
This BU News photo of Baird shortly before his
arrest was taken by Peter Simon (COM'70), who also
spoke at last week's event.
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