Senate Rejects 'Right to Contraception' Bill

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Facts

• In a 51 to 39 vote, US Senate Republicans blocked a bill to enshrine nationwide access to contraception on Wednesday. Though two Republicans voted in favor of the measure, it fell short of the 60 votes needed to move forward.¹
• The bill, dubbed the Right to Contraception Act, comes as part of a broader Democratic push to put Republicans on record about reproductive rights in the run-up to the November elections.²
• The legislation — which Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) introduced last month — had sought to guarantee access to contraceptives and contraception, as well as related information.³
• The Biden administration had thrown its weight behind S.4381, with the White House Office of Management and Budget arguing that it's time to protect the right to contraception given the overturning of Roe v. Wade.⁴
• The Right to Contraception Act passed the then-Democratic-controlled House in July 2022, shortly after the Supreme Court overturned abortion rights at the federal level in Dobbs v. Jackson.⁵

Sources: ¹Axios, ²CBS, ³Congress, ⁴Guardian and ⁵New York Times.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by NBC. The overturning of Roe v. Wade has unleashed chaos — no one understands anymore which contraception methods are allowed and whether states can revoke access to birth control. In the face of such an extreme conservative push, it's pressing to enshrine existing protections such as Griswold v. Connecticut and Eisenstadt v. Baird into federal law.
• Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Caller. Contraception remains legal in every state and health insurers are legally required to offer it at no cost, so it's clear that Democrats are fearmongering on reproductive rights in a stunt to gain political advantage as the elections approach. Even more outrageously, this bill would have allowed the government to force religious institutions and schools to offer contraceptives to kids.

Predictions