Democrats pick a fight over contraception (2024)

The Right to Contraception Act is led by Democratic Sens. Ed Markey (Mass.) and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii). It would codify the “fundamental right” to contraception established by the landmark Supreme Court decision in Griswold v. Connecticut.

“Now more than ever, contraception is a critical piece of protecting women’s reproductive freedoms,” Schumer said Wednesday on the floor.

“Senate Democrats are committed to restoring women’s freedoms and will fight to protect access to contraception and other reproductive freedoms that are essential safeguards for millions of women to control their own lives, their futures, and their bodies,” he said.

Democrats expect Republicans to block the bill, just as they have blocked legislation protecting access to in vitro fertilization.

Last year, Senate Democrats tried to force consideration of the contraception bill under the unanimous consent process. It was blocked by Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), who said the bill used “intentionally vague language to hide its ulterior motive of protecting access to abortion drugs.”

With passage unlikely, the effort could be used a potent election-year attack on Republicans. Democrats are making women’s access to health care, including abortion rights, a top issue in the 2024 campaign.

The announcement comes after former President Trump in vague comments indicated he was open to letting states impose restrictions on birth control, before backtracking on social media.

It also comes after Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) vetoed legislation that would have codified access to birth control into the state constitution, citing religious liberty concerns.

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