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On Wednesday, June 4th 2024, Republicans in the U.S. Senate voted down the Right to Contraception Act, legislation that would have codified the right to access basic contraception like IUDs, the pill, and condoms nationwide. The bill failed 51-39, falling short of the 60-vote threshold needed to pass in the chamber. Every Republican except for Senator Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (ME) voted against the bill.
Families across the country were eager for the bill to pass and protect contraceptive rights once and for all after Justice Clarence Thomas signaled that the Supreme Court may overturn Griswold v. Connecticut, which established the constitutional right of married persons to use birth control 1965.
There is broad bipartisan support for birth control with 9-in-10 American families having used it. According to the annual Gallup values and beliefs poll released last year, 88 percent of Americans said birth control was morally acceptable.
The day before the vote, faith leaders delivered over 400,000 prayer petitions by Christians supporting the bill.
The Senate’s Right to Contraception Act was the second chance leaders had the opportunity to protect contraception at the national level. In 2022, 195 House Republicans also voted against the Right to Contraception Act.
Today, the right to contraception remains at risk across the country with many states already taking steps to restrict it.
Learn more about the Right to Contraception Act.
