The U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of the Right to Contraception Act in a vote of 228-195, with eight Republicans voting in favor, and two voting present, with six not voting. All Democrats voted in favor. While the legislation's title and its supporters emphasize the contraception aspect, there's more than meets the eye, as it also protects abortion and Planned Parenthood, which provides more abortions than any other entity in the country.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America announced on Wednesday that they would score against the legislation, which they informed lawmakers of in a letter. SBA Pro-Life America also terms the legislation "Payouts for Planned Parenthood Act."
A press release from the pro-life groups warns that the legislation:
- Seeks to guarantee funding to abortion businesses by barring federal and state governments from redirecting contraception funding to life-affirming health care providers.
- Would override state and federal freedom of conscience laws.
- Explicitly excludes application of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
- Could overturn laws regulating chemical abortion and mandate access to dangerous abortion drugs, due to its overbroad definition of contraceptives.
In a statement, SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfesler warned that this is part of the Democratic agenda focusing on abortion.
"Nancy Pelosi and pro-abortion Democrats will stop at nothing to ensure the abortion industry led by Planned Parenthood has a steady flow of taxpayer dollars to prop up their brutal business. Abortion is violence and no health care provider should ever be forced to be complicit. Moreover, with thousands of pregnancy and health centers across the country that vastly outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities and offer women real choices, the abortion industry does not need or deserve tax dollars," she said. "The Payouts for Planned Parenthood Act is just the latest ploy for the Democrats to impose abortion on demand until birth nationwide and funnel money to the abortion lobby that is spending $150 million to get them elected. They will be held accountable for their radical, deeply unpopular agenda."
The vote comes two days after the House voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act, which would codify the right to same-sex and interracial marriage into law. That bill had much more crossover appeal, with 47 Republicans voting in favor.
Both votes come after Justice Clarence Thomas wrote last month in what was a concurring opinion for Dobbs v. Jackson that the Supreme Court ought to revisit such rights as contraception and same-sex marriage. Despite fear-mongering from Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media, though, Justice Thomas' opinion was merely a concurrence. The opinion of the Court, written by Justice Samuel Alito, and a separate concurrence from Justice Brett Kavanaugh, emphasized that the Dobbs decision only applies to abortion.
As Guy offered in an analysis following the House vote, the Supreme Court is unlikely to ever take up a case that would overturn the right to same-sex marriage, let alone for there to be a majority of justices who would vote to overturn it.
During her Tuesday press conference on the Right to Contraception Act, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) claimed that not only did Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and congressional Republicans wanted to ban abortion nationwide, but, without evidence, said "In doing so, they put even more of our cherished freedoms on the chopping block, including the right to contraception."
Join @RepKManning, @RepSaraJacobs, @RepAngieCraig, @RepUnderwood, & me for an event on the Right to Contraception Act, legislation enshrining into law the right to access & use contraceptives & taking action against states who stop access to birth control. https://t.co/wrAN2e7C2P
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 20, 2022
At one point, Pelosi lumped Justice Thomas and congressional Republicans in together. "It is clear that their attempts to roll back the clock on contraception is, again, another plank of the extreme agenda. Their extreme agenda for America’s women. In Idaho and Louisiana, Republicans are putting this plan in action: removing – moving to ban or criminalize birth control. Criminalize birth control," she said, going on to bizarrely ask, "do you wonder if they even know what’s going on in their own homes?"
It's worth emphasizing that the kind of contraceptives that Idaho looking to ban are limited to emergency contraception, which may act as an early abortifacient.
Louisiana, which is governed by Gov. John Bel Edwards, a pro-life Democrat, actually scrapped a bill in May that would ban certain forms of contraception, while passing other pro-life laws.
The speaker even went on to reference Abraham Lincoln." As Lincoln said, but for public sentiment to prevail, people have to know. And we want to be sure that people know what this means in the lives of America's families, or not even families, just in terms of American women and their decisions," she mentioned during the press conference.
"Right to Contraception Act" was trending on Twitter as a result of the vote.