Senate Vote Blocks Nationwide Access to Contraception

Senate Republicans recently voted against the Right to Contraception Act, which guarantees the right to access basic contraception like IUDs, the pill, and condoms nationwide. This decision comes shortly before the 59th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, which established that the right to privacy includes making personal decisions such as accessing and using contraception in individual households. 

The vote follows the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, which had previously protected a woman's right to choose. Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, efforts to limit access to reproductive health care, including contraception and in vitro fertilization, have increased. Some states have seen health care providers forced to close due to these restrictions, disrupting critical health care services. 

According to the White House Statement on the right to contraception, efforts are still being made to “try to restrict access to birth control and to defund federal programs that help women access contraception.”

The administration emphasizes the importance of individuals to have the freedom to make private healthcare decisions, including the right to decide if and when to start or grow their families. As stated, “women in every state must have the freedom to make deeply personal health care decisions, including the right to decide if and when to start or grow their family.”

Efforts are ongoing to protect and expand access to reproductive health care, including affordable, high-quality contraception. Additionally, there is a push for Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law and ensure the right to contraception is safeguarded nationwide.