Washington – The House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation that would protect access to birth control, the latest move in a broader effort by Democrats to write into federal law rights they fear could be threatened by the Supreme Court after the ruling him to abolish the constitutional right to abortion.
The vote was 228-195, with eight Republicans joining every Democrat who voted in favor. All 195 no votes came from Republicans.
Republican members who voted for him were Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, John Katko of New York, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Nancy Mays of South Carolina, Fred Upton of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Maria Salazar of Florida and Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio.
The bill, called the Contraceptive Rights Act, now goes to the Senate, where it is unlikely to attract the support of 10 Republicans needed to pass it. The measure would create a legal right for people to access birth control and protect a range of contraceptive methods, as well as ensure that health care providers have the right to provide contraceptive services to patients.
“We are unwilling to play defense on this critically important issue,” said Congresswoman Kathy Manning, D-North Carolina, who sponsored the measure, during a press conference to promote the bill on Wednesday. “We’re playing offense.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused Republicans of trying to turn back the clock on American women by limiting access to birth control, but said “we’re not going back.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters ahead of a planned House vote that would write the right to use contraceptives into law, a response to the conservative Supreme Court, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, July 21 2022 J. Scott Applewhite / AP
“This is their moment. Clarence Thomas made it very clear, right down to the basics of privacy that they want to erase,” Pelosi said of Republicans. “With this passage, Democrats will make clear that we will never give up the fight against the outrageous right-wing assault on freedom.”
The White House supported passage of the plan to protect the right to contraception and said in a statement that access to birth control is “essential to ensuring that all people have control over personal decisions about their own health, lives and families “.
Along with two bills aimed at providing access to abortion that passed the House last week and a measure that protects same-sex and interracial marriage, the proposal, which includes access to contraceptive services, is the Democrats’ response to the Supreme Court decision last month to overturn Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide.
Five conservative justices, including the three members appointed by former President Donald Trump, voted to overturn nearly 50 years of precedent, raising concerns that other rights recognized by the court, including same-sex marriage and contraception, could face a similar fate.
While Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority that “nothing in this opinion should be read as casting doubt on precedents not dealing with abortion,” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a separate concurring opinion, urging his colleagues to reconsider landmark decisions that recognize rights regarding contraception and same-sex relationships.
No other justices joined Thomas, but his opinion, combined with decisions this term by the court’s conservative majority involving the environment, religion, guns and abortion, prompted Democrats to back down legislatively.
“This rallying call by Justice Thomas and the actions of extremist Republican lawmakers are all about one thing: control,” said Manning, D-North Carolina. “These extremists are working to take away women’s rights, to take away our right to decide when to have children, to take away our right to control our own lives and our bodies, and we will not let that happen.
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill called the Respect for Marriage Act, which would protect marriage equality by repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and providing federal protections for same-sex and interracial couples. Although the Supreme Court struck down parts of the Clinton-era law in two rulings involving same-sex marriage, it remained on the books.
The marriage equality legislation passed with the support of all House Democrats and 47 Republicans, including Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York, the No. 3 Republican in the House, and Tom Emmer of Minnesota, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Like the measure protecting access to contraceptive services, it is unclear whether the marriage equality bill can win the Republican support needed to overcome a filibuster in the Senate. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell declined to say Tuesday whether he plans to support the Respect for Marriage Act, but a growing number of Republicans have signaled they plan to vote in support. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio co-sponsored the Senate version of the measure, his office said, and Sen. Tom Tillis of North Carolina said he “probably will” vote to enshrine same-sex marriage in federal law. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska also said they supported protecting marriage equality.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday he wants to introduce the bill and has spoken with Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, about gauging Republican support.
Add Comment