June 4, 2024
Should you have a legal right no matter what state you live in to access birth control?
We’re going to find out tomorrow when the senate is expected to vote on the Right to Contraception Act. This move comes just shy of two years after the supreme court struck down roe vs wade in the Dobbs decision.
The Right to Contraception Act was introduced by and is supported by all Senate Democrats and is meant to give all Americans the right to access contraceptives, the right to use those contraceptives and the right of health care providers to facilitate that health care in the way they see fit. This includes all forms of contraceptives including pills, IUDs and Plan B.
The bill specifically says neither the federal government nor any state can infringe on these rights by limiting access to contraception, or contraception information or infringe on health care professionals or facilities that provide that contraception.
But why is this bill getting a vote? Well two reasons. One – this all stems from the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe vs Wade. That opened up abortion bans or abortion limitations in dozens of states across the country. And as a side bar to that – lawmakers in several states have started to turn their attention to access to contraception. For example, lawmakers in Oklahoma proposed a bill this year –that ultimately stalled out – which would have restricted access to birth control like IUDs and Plan B. It’s also worth remembering that in his concurring Dobbs opinion Justice Clarence Thomas suggested the supreme court should revisit the case that allowed contraception nationwide. (Griswold v Connecticut).
And the other reason this bill is expected to get a vote tomorrow is pure politics. In an election year Democrats in the senate want to put their Republican colleagues on record with whether or not they support a law to protect access to birth control. Now – a similar bill was passed in the democrat-controlled house back in 2022 but Senate Republicans blocked that measure saying the law could include pills that would induce abortion. It is very likely senate republicans are going to block tomorrow’s vote too.
In the meantime – house democrats are trying to force a vote on a similar version of the Right to Contraception Act. They face an uphill battle and it is unclear if they will get it to the house floor for a vote.
Read more about the Right to Contraception Act here.
