Hilda Crosby Standish

Hilda Crosby Standish (1902 – June 1, 2005) was a pioneer in the birth control movement in the state of Connecticut. In 1935, she became medical director of the Maternal Health Center in Hartford, the state's first birth control clinic. Dr. Standish was inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame in 1994.

Early life and education Hilda Crosby was born to Julia and Albert Hutchings Crosby of Hartford, Connecticut in 1902. After graduating from Hartford Public High School, she attended Wellesley College, where she received a bachelor's degree in zoology in 1924. Crosby earned her medical degree at Cornell Medical College in 1928, graduating third in her class. Dr. Standish interned at Philadelphia General Hospital and served a one-year residency at the St. Louis Maternity Hospital in Missouri.

Medical career Upon completion of her residency, she accepted a five-year appointment in 1932 to teach obstetrics in the Women's Christian Medical College, and the Margaret Williamson Hospital of Shanghai, China. After two years, she had to return to the United States because of an illness in the family. The family member's health improved, but Crosby was unable to return to China because the Japanese military had invaded the country.

Standish continued to support Planned Parenthood's efforts to legalize birth control in the state. She testified before the state legislature in an effort to change the law that made the use of contraceptives illegal. She worked closely with Planned Parenthood of Connecticut Executive Director Estelle Griswold, one of the plaintiffs in the landmark Supreme Court case Griswold v. Connecticut.

In recognition of her dedication to advancing reproductive rights in the state, Planned Parenthood of Connecticut renamed its West Hartford site the Hilda Crosby Standish, MD Clinic in 1983.