These 38 GOP senators just voted against protecting contraception. Here's why.
Almost every Republican senator voted against a Democratic-led bill to protect the right to contraception on Wednesday.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty ImagesAll but 2 GOP senators voted to block a Democratic bill to protect access to contraception.Republicans say they're not actually against contraception but have other issues with the bill.The vote was widely seen as a "show vote" that had little chance of becoming law anyway.The Senate failed on Wednesday to advance a bill designed to protect access to contraceptives nationwide.Just two Republican senators — Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — voted with Democrats to advance the bill. Nine Republicans did not show up to vote.The vote was teed up by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as part of an effort to highlight the different between the Democratic and Republican parties over reproductive rights ahead of an election where abortion is expected to play a major role.Republicans derided the effort as a "show vote," arguing that no one is seriously interested in banning contraceptives such as condoms, Plan-B, or IUDs."Do people really think that even a significant minority of the Republican conference is against access to contraception?" said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. "I don't even want to get into what I don't like about the bill."It's true that the effort is largely for show — Schumer and Democrats knew that the GOP-controlled House would not take up the legislation. To that point, the bill's "findings" section argues that access for contraception is "especially critical for historically marginalized groups" including "Black, indigenous, and other people of color," "immigrants," and "LGBTQ+ people."While not necessarily untrue, it's not the sort of thing one would put in legislation designed to attract the support of conservative Republicans."It's a bill that has a lot of other garbage in it, and this is a messaging exercise," said Tillis.But still — if Republicans aren't against contraception, why won't they just vote for the bill?If you ask them, it mainly comes down to religious freedom.'The number one issue with it'The Democratic bill is designed to guarantee the right to access contraception, which was first established for married couples by the Supreme Court in its 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut ruling.Some experts have since worried that right could now be at risk in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. In his concurring opinion in that case, Justice Clarence Thomas argued that Griswold should be revisited.But the bill includes a line stating that it "applies notwithstanding any other provision of Federal law, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993."That law essentially protects individuals' right to religious freedoms. Republicans argue waiving that law amounts to a "poison pill" in the bill that would force religious institutions to provide contraceptives."They've said basically, contraception is gonna be allowed everywhere, regardless of your faith, your background, your institution," said Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma. "That's the number one issue with it."Like other Republicans, Lankford is also opposed to certain forms of medical care for transgender youth. The bill includes "sterilization" under its definition of contraception, which the Oklahoma Republican argued would interfere with state-level bans on gender-affirmed care for people under 18."This would remove that right from all those states to say they're protecting minors," said Lankford.22 GOP senators, led by Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, signed a statement on Tuesday, declaring that there's "no threat to access to contraception" and that the bill "infringes on the parental rights and religious liberties of some Americans."Democrats have also attempted to pass similar legislation at the state level, but have been blocked by Republicans. Last month, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia vetoed a bill to protect access to contraception, arguing that it violated principles of religious freedom.The Republicans who voted to block the billHere are the 38 GOP senators who voted to block the Right to Contraception Act:John Barrasso of WyomingMarsha Blackburn of TennesseeJohn Boozman of ArkansasTed Budd of North CarolinaShelley Moore Capito of West VirginiaBill Cassidy of LouisianaJohn Cornyn of TexasTom Cotton of ArkansasKevin Cramer of North DakotaMike Crapo of IdahoTed Cruz of TexasSteve Daines of MontanaJoni Ernst of IowaDeb Fischer of NebraskaChuck Grassley of IowaJosh Hawley of MissouriJohn Hoeven of North DakotaCindy Hyde-Smith of MississippiRon Johnson of WisconsinJames Lankford of OklahomaMike Lee of UtahCynthia Lummis of WyomingRoger Marshall of KansasMitch McConnell of KentuckyMarkwayne Mullin of OklahomaRand Paul of KentuckyPete Ricketts of NebraskaJim Risch of IdahoMike Rounds of South DakotaMarco Rubio of FloridaEric Schmitt of MissouriRick Scott of FloridaTim Scott of South CarolinaJohn Thune of South DakotaThoms Tillis of North CarolinaTommy Tuberville of AlabamaRoger Wicker of MississippiTodd Young of IndianaThe following 9 GOP senators did not vote:Mike Braun of IndianaKatie Britt of AlabamaLindsey Graham of South CarolinaBill Hagerty of TennesseeJohn Kennedy of LouisianaJerry Moran of KansasMitt Romney of UtahDan Sullivan of AlaskaJD Vance of OhioCorrection: June 5, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated which stated Ted Budd represents. He represents North Carolina, not Indiana.Read the original article on Business Insider
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