The vote on the #RightToContraceptionAct was 51-39, falling short of the 60 votes needed to defeat a #filibuster & move forward. Republicans said the bill is unnecessary as the use of #BirthControl is protected under #SCOTUS precedent as if [#SupremeCourt precedent means anything anymore].
#Republicans Lisa #Murkowski of Alaska & #SusanCollins of Maine voted w/ #Democrats in support of the bill. #Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, switched his vote to “no” for procedural reasons so he could bring up the bill again at a later date.
The legislation would establish nationwide #rights for individuals to “obtain #contraceptives & to voluntarily engage in #contraception” & protect #healthcare providers who offer it. It defines contraceptives as “any drug, device, or biological product intended for use in the prevention of pregnancy” & prohibits #federal or #state governments from enforcing #laws or standards that impede that right. It empowers the #DOJ & affected private entities to sue to enforce the new protections.
#Democrats argue the bill is necessary because #SCOTUS cannot be trusted to uphold its #precedent on protecting the use of #contraceptives in the 1965 case #GriswoldVConnecticut. They note that when the court invalidated federal #AbortionRights in 2022, Justice #ClarenceThomas wrote separately saying that the court “should reconsider” other precedents like the #contraception case. And they cite a recent survey that found 1 in 5 Americans believe the right to contraception is under threat.
“Far-right conservatives are sowing misinformation that inaccurately characterizes IUDs, emergency contraception, even birth-control pills as causing abortions.”
#Republicans in ≥17 states have blocked #laws assuring the right to #BirthControl since 2022. Most recently, #Virginia Gov Glenn #Youngkin (R) vetoed a bill meant to ensure #access to #contraceptives, saying while he personally supports access, he was loath to “trample on the #religious freedoms of Virginians,” incl’g #medical providers [what about everyone else’s freedoms?] #Trump suggested that he was open to restricting access to #contraception.
Many #Americans do not understand the difference between #abortion pills, which end a pregnancy, & emergency #contraception, which prevents it. Nearly ¾ of Americans incorrectly think that emergency contraceptive pills can end a pregnancy in its early stages, according to a 2023 poll by KFF, a nonprofit focused on national #health issues.
Antiabortion groups are stepping in to fill that knowledge gap w/ #disinformation.
#Medical societies say it’s wrong to characterize emergency #contraceptive pills, a #BirthControl method used w/in days of unprotected sex, & IUDs, which are long-acting & reversible, as causing #abortions bc NEITHER END AN EXISTING PREGNANCY.
'because #pregnancy is the result of "voluntary and consensual sexual intercourse," students should not be allowed time off to get abortions. If the students disobey and miss class for #abortion care, the filing continues, the professors should be allowed to flunk students. Additionally, Bonevac asserts that he has a right to refuse to employ a teaching assistant who has had an abortion, calling such women "criminals."'
From NCJW:
Next week, the Senate will vote on The Right to Contraception Act which would uphold the right to access contraception, first recognized by the Supreme Court in Griswold v. Connecticut in 1965. The Right to Contraception Act would safeguard a person's right to seek and obtain birth control, even if the Supreme Court were to ever overturn the existing constitutional protection.
We need your voice in this fight. Take action today and tell Congress to support the Right to Contraception Act. Our Jewish movement has our own playbook: everyone deserves access to basic health care, including abortion care and contraceptives. Let’s get out there and play.
NYT- Sen. Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, plans to fast-track a Senate vote next month on a bill to protect access to #contraception in the U.S. — a constitutional right many voters view as at risk. It's part of an election-year push to highlight Republicans’ record of opposing reproductive rights.