Senate vote on right to contraception bill falls short amid Republican opposition
Washington — A Democratic-led effort to advance legislation protecting access to contraception fell short in the Senate on Wednesday, with most Republicans opposing the measure that was aimed at highlighting reproductive rights heading into November’s election.
The vote to advance the measure failed with 51 votes in favor to 39 against, with just two Republicans joining Democrats and independents. It needed 60 votes to move forward.
The bill, called the Right to Contraception Act, would codify the right to contraception in federal law. For Senate Democrats, the effort has been a long time coming. The legislation was first introduced in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s move to strike down the federal right to abortion in 2022, which prompted concerns among Democratic lawmakers that birth control could be next. Two years on, the vote came as Senate Democrats have worked to bring attention to the issue — and to the stances of their GOP colleagues — as they try to hold on to their narrow control of the Senate.
poll found that 88% of Americans hold the view that birth control is morally acceptable — a greater share of Americans than say the same about divorce or having a child outside of a marriage.
The vote is part of a broader push by Senate Democrats over reproductive rights this month, and comes as just one piece of a larger plan to put Republicans in difficult positions over the issues. Schumer said that he also intends to bring a new package to protect IVF up for a vote next week.
A group of Senate Democrats introduced the IVF package earlier this week. The issue gained national attention when an Alabama Supreme Court decision in February prompted providers to halt fertility treatments and brought attention to IVF as a possible new front in the fight over reproductive rights in the U.S.
The push to put Republicans on the record on issues like IVF and contraception, along with abortion, comes after the issue proved to be a major motivator for voters at the polls in the midterm elections. And though the bills have little chance of becoming law, Schumer made Democrats’ endgame clear.
“In the coming weeks, Senate Democrats will put reproductive freedoms front and center before this chamber so that the American people can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties,” he said.
Alejandro Alvarez contributed reporting.
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Source: cbsnews.com