Senate Republicans voted against a Democrat bill to make contraception a federal right on June 5.
If passed, the bill would have blocked states from “passing laws that limit access to contraception, including hormonal birth control and intrauterine devices,” according to The Washington Post. Senate Republicans deemed the bill unnecessary and a tactic to draw out a fight on reproductive rights during an election year. Democrats will do anything to distract the public from Joe Biden's abysmal record, so this vote was a no-brainer.
Senate Republicans believed the bill was nothing more than a “show vote," with Democrats hoping to set a legislative trap on reproductive rights. The bill's formulation gave Americans the impression that Senate Republicans were restricting their rights by opposing it.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said introducing the bill was embarrassing because it was unnecessary. Americans had access to contraception before the bill was introduced and had access to contraception after the bill was rejected because it is not illegal.
“It’s a phony vote because contraception, to my knowledge, is not illegal,” Cornyn said.” “It’s not unavailable. To suggest that it’s somehow in jeopardy should be embarrassing, but it’s hard to embarrass some people around here.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy( R-LA) agreed with Cornyn in a tweet on June 5, saying there is "no state or territory that bans access to birth control pills."
Today’s vote on Democrats’ so-called “Right to Contraception Act” is aimed at nothing more than scaring and misleading the American people.
— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) June 5, 2024
There is no state or territory that bans access to birth control pills. This is a brazen attempt to sway voters in an election year. pic.twitter.com/rVtCCRMAnj
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Another issue Senate Republicans had with the legislation was it did not have “adequate religious freedom protections for providers who object to certain birth-control methods,” according to The Washington Post. In response to their concerns, defenders of the bill said it would not “force” anyone to provide contraception if it conflicted with their religious convictions.
Ever since the bill was introduced, Republicans were eager to voice their support for birth control. This week, the National Republican Senatorial Committee sent out a memo to GOP Senate candidates “urging” them to show support for a bill introduced by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) that would increase access to birth control.
“Republicans support access to birth control,” the memo said. “Democrats are trying to make this a campaign issue and scare voters because they can’t talk about their failed policies on every other issue.”
A 2023 Gallup poll showed 88% of Americans said birth control was “morally acceptable,” as well as 86% of Republicans and 93% of Democrats.
Sen. Ernst’s bill “encourages” the development of more birth-control methods, excluding the morning-after pill, which Ernst said is a “red line” for many Republicans.
Despite the Democrats' attempts to defame Republicans, outside groups are making an effort to report the truth to American voters. Americans for Contraception said it would spend $7 million to “educate, inform and empower voters on where their officials stand on contraception.”
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