The Condom He Handed to a Student Upended America's Privacy Law

A lecturer hands a student a condom on a Boston University stage in 1967, risking felony charges and a challenge to America’s privacy law.

The Condom He Handed to a Student Upended America's Privacy Law

In this episode, we follow the moment a man handed a condom and contraceptive foam to an unmarried student at Boston University and was arrested under Massachusetts law. The story traces the legal and cultural history that made such an arrest possible and asks how a single act in a lecture hall could force a nationwide reckoning over privacy.

Person: Bill Baird Date: April 6, 1967 Location: Boston University, Hayden Hall Law: Massachusetts "Crimes Against Chastity, Decency, Morality and Good Order" Precedent: Comstock Act (1873)

- He handed one condom and one package of contraceptive foam to an unmarried female student in front of about fifteen hundred people. - Campus police were waiting and arrested him on the stage before he left. - The charge was distributing contraceptives to an unmarried person, a felony under Massachusetts law. - The case took five years and two federal courts to resolve, rooted in a century of obscenity and contraception law. - The episode traces back to Anthony Comstock, the 1873 Comstock Act, and earlier prosecutions like Charles Knowlton's in 1832.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].