Reproductive freedom advocates protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on March 23, 2016. (Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Jul 27, 2022
Democratic U.S. lawmakers and reproductive freedom advocates on Wednesday denounced Senate Republicans for blocking proposed legislation that would safeguard access to contraception as GOP-led states enact total abortion bans in the wake of Roe v. Wade's reversal.
"These extremists are pulling back the curtain to reveal just how out of touch they are with Americans. Voters won't forget it come November."
Arguing that the bill "purposefully goes far beyond the scope of contraception," Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) objected to a request from Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) to pass the Right to Contraception Act by unanimous consent.
The House of Representatives passed the measure--which would codify the right to obtain and use contraceptives and protect physicians who provide them--last week. Just eight Republican House lawmakers joined all 220 of their Democratic colleagues in voting for the bill.
"It has been nearly 60 years since the Supreme Court decided Griswold v. Connecticut--and affirmed Americans' right to privacy and with it: their right to contraception," Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in a statement. "So you'd think this would be a settled issue. And for the vast majority of Americans--it is. Yet, as we just saw, somehow--in the year 2022--this isn't a settled issue for Republican politicians."
Markey asserted that "today, Republicans showed the American people where they stand: No abortions, and no birth control to prevent the need for one. The right-wing extremists in the United States Senate and on the Supreme Court are way out of touch with the vast majority of the American people, and yet they still want to tell them what to do with their bodies and their lives.
\u201cSenate Democrats came to the floor to pass the Right to Contraception Act.\n\nRepublicans blocked it. \n\n\u201cThe American people will not forget Republicans from blocking us getting this done.\u201d\n\n- Chair @PattyMurray\n\nWe will keep fighting.\u201d— Senate Democrats (@Senate Democrats) 1658961431
"While Republicans refuse to protect our fundamental rights as the Supreme Court and right-wing state legislatures take them away," Markey added, "my Democratic colleagues and I will continue our efforts to keep in place the fundamental, privacy-based rights that Americans have had for decades, and codify into federal law the right to contraception."
Progressive activists have been warning that access to contraceptives could be imperiled by the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing supermajority. In his concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the 6-3 May ruling that voided half a century of constitutional abortion rights, Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly took aim at Griswold--as well as landmark cases legalizing same-sex intimate relations and marriage--as previous high court decisions that should be revisited.
Reproductive rights groups echoed the Democratic senators' frustration and resolve.
"Senate Republicans' refusal to protect contraception access is beyond unacceptable," NARAL Pro-Choice America president Mini Timmaraju said in a statement. "As our country grapples with the ripple effects of the Supreme Court ending the right to abortion, MAGA Republicans continue to find every excuse to exert power and control over us all."
\u201cToday @SenMarkey led an effort to pass the Right to Contraception Act. It was BLOCKED by Republicans.\nSome lawmakers don\u2019t think you deserve the right to birth control. \nReproductive rights are under attack \u2014 this bill would protect the right to birth control Americans choose.\u201d— Planned Parenthood Action (@Planned Parenthood Action) 1658955030
"Contraception is a key way people can decide if, when, and how to start or grow a family," she added, "and these extremists are pulling back the curtain to reveal just how out of touch they are with Americans. Voters won't forget it come November."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. The final deadline for our crucial Summer Campaign fundraising drive is just hours away, and we’re falling short of our must-hit goal. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
healthcarenaralroe v. wadeplanned parenthoodpoliticsreproductive rightsus houseed markeyclarence thomaselection 2022us supreme courtus senate
Democratic U.S. lawmakers and reproductive freedom advocates on Wednesday denounced Senate Republicans for blocking proposed legislation that would safeguard access to contraception as GOP-led states enact total abortion bans in the wake of Roe v. Wade's reversal.
"These extremists are pulling back the curtain to reveal just how out of touch they are with Americans. Voters won't forget it come November."
Arguing that the bill "purposefully goes far beyond the scope of contraception," Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) objected to a request from Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) to pass the Right to Contraception Act by unanimous consent.
The House of Representatives passed the measure--which would codify the right to obtain and use contraceptives and protect physicians who provide them--last week. Just eight Republican House lawmakers joined all 220 of their Democratic colleagues in voting for the bill.
"It has been nearly 60 years since the Supreme Court decided Griswold v. Connecticut--and affirmed Americans' right to privacy and with it: their right to contraception," Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in a statement. "So you'd think this would be a settled issue. And for the vast majority of Americans--it is. Yet, as we just saw, somehow--in the year 2022--this isn't a settled issue for Republican politicians."
Markey asserted that "today, Republicans showed the American people where they stand: No abortions, and no birth control to prevent the need for one. The right-wing extremists in the United States Senate and on the Supreme Court are way out of touch with the vast majority of the American people, and yet they still want to tell them what to do with their bodies and their lives.
\u201cSenate Democrats came to the floor to pass the Right to Contraception Act.\n\nRepublicans blocked it. \n\n\u201cThe American people will not forget Republicans from blocking us getting this done.\u201d\n\n- Chair @PattyMurray\n\nWe will keep fighting.\u201d— Senate Democrats (@Senate Democrats) 1658961431
"While Republicans refuse to protect our fundamental rights as the Supreme Court and right-wing state legislatures take them away," Markey added, "my Democratic colleagues and I will continue our efforts to keep in place the fundamental, privacy-based rights that Americans have had for decades, and codify into federal law the right to contraception."
Progressive activists have been warning that access to contraceptives could be imperiled by the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing supermajority. In his concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the 6-3 May ruling that voided half a century of constitutional abortion rights, Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly took aim at Griswold--as well as landmark cases legalizing same-sex intimate relations and marriage--as previous high court decisions that should be revisited.
Reproductive rights groups echoed the Democratic senators' frustration and resolve.
"Senate Republicans' refusal to protect contraception access is beyond unacceptable," NARAL Pro-Choice America president Mini Timmaraju said in a statement. "As our country grapples with the ripple effects of the Supreme Court ending the right to abortion, MAGA Republicans continue to find every excuse to exert power and control over us all."
\u201cToday @SenMarkey led an effort to pass the Right to Contraception Act. It was BLOCKED by Republicans.\nSome lawmakers don\u2019t think you deserve the right to birth control. \nReproductive rights are under attack \u2014 this bill would protect the right to birth control Americans choose.\u201d— Planned Parenthood Action (@Planned Parenthood Action) 1658955030
"Contraception is a key way people can decide if, when, and how to start or grow a family," she added, "and these extremists are pulling back the curtain to reveal just how out of touch they are with Americans. Voters won't forget it come November."
Democratic U.S. lawmakers and reproductive freedom advocates on Wednesday denounced Senate Republicans for blocking proposed legislation that would safeguard access to contraception as GOP-led states enact total abortion bans in the wake of Roe v. Wade's reversal.
"These extremists are pulling back the curtain to reveal just how out of touch they are with Americans. Voters won't forget it come November."
Arguing that the bill "purposefully goes far beyond the scope of contraception," Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) objected to a request from Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) to pass the Right to Contraception Act by unanimous consent.
The House of Representatives passed the measure--which would codify the right to obtain and use contraceptives and protect physicians who provide them--last week. Just eight Republican House lawmakers joined all 220 of their Democratic colleagues in voting for the bill.
"It has been nearly 60 years since the Supreme Court decided Griswold v. Connecticut--and affirmed Americans' right to privacy and with it: their right to contraception," Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in a statement. "So you'd think this would be a settled issue. And for the vast majority of Americans--it is. Yet, as we just saw, somehow--in the year 2022--this isn't a settled issue for Republican politicians."
Markey asserted that "today, Republicans showed the American people where they stand: No abortions, and no birth control to prevent the need for one. The right-wing extremists in the United States Senate and on the Supreme Court are way out of touch with the vast majority of the American people, and yet they still want to tell them what to do with their bodies and their lives.
\u201cSenate Democrats came to the floor to pass the Right to Contraception Act.\n\nRepublicans blocked it. \n\n\u201cThe American people will not forget Republicans from blocking us getting this done.\u201d\n\n- Chair @PattyMurray\n\nWe will keep fighting.\u201d— Senate Democrats (@Senate Democrats) 1658961431
"While Republicans refuse to protect our fundamental rights as the Supreme Court and right-wing state legislatures take them away," Markey added, "my Democratic colleagues and I will continue our efforts to keep in place the fundamental, privacy-based rights that Americans have had for decades, and codify into federal law the right to contraception."
Progressive activists have been warning that access to contraceptives could be imperiled by the U.S. Supreme Court's right-wing supermajority. In his concurring opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the 6-3 May ruling that voided half a century of constitutional abortion rights, Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly took aim at Griswold--as well as landmark cases legalizing same-sex intimate relations and marriage--as previous high court decisions that should be revisited.
Reproductive rights groups echoed the Democratic senators' frustration and resolve.
"Senate Republicans' refusal to protect contraception access is beyond unacceptable," NARAL Pro-Choice America president Mini Timmaraju said in a statement. "As our country grapples with the ripple effects of the Supreme Court ending the right to abortion, MAGA Republicans continue to find every excuse to exert power and control over us all."
\u201cToday @SenMarkey led an effort to pass the Right to Contraception Act. It was BLOCKED by Republicans.\nSome lawmakers don\u2019t think you deserve the right to birth control. \nReproductive rights are under attack \u2014 this bill would protect the right to birth control Americans choose.\u201d— Planned Parenthood Action (@Planned Parenthood Action) 1658955030
"Contraception is a key way people can decide if, when, and how to start or grow a family," she added, "and these extremists are pulling back the curtain to reveal just how out of touch they are with Americans. Voters won't forget it come November."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.