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Jimmy Williams
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced plans to hold a Senate vote next month on the Right to Contraception Act, a bill designed to establish federal protections for legal contraceptives. This move aims to force Republicans to take a definitive stance on reproductive rights, a contentious issue dividing their party ahead of the upcoming election.
“Now more than ever, contraception is a critical piece of protecting women’s reproductive freedoms, standing as nothing short of a vital lifeline for millions of American women across the country,” Schumer stated on the Senate floor on Wednesday.
The announcement came a day after former President Donald Trump suggested in an interview that he was open to new restrictions on birth control. “We’re looking at that, and I’m going to have a policy on that very shortly,” Trump said to KDKA-TV of Pittsburgh when asked about his stance on contraception restrictions. “And I think it’s something you’ll find interesting. I think it’s a smart decision. We’ll be releasing it very soon.” Trump later walked back these comments on his social media platform.
The Right to Contraception Act seeks to protect individuals’ access to contraceptives and healthcare providers’ ability to offer contraceptives and related information. The vote is part of a broader strategy to highlight Republican positions on reproductive rights, especially with the second anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade approaching.
While a specific date for the vote has not been set, Schumer began the procedural steps on Tuesday to place the bill on the calendar. The Senate will first vote on a separate bipartisan border security bill on Thursday, before breaking for a weeklong recess for Memorial Day. The border bill vote, expected to fail due to bipartisan opposition, is seen as a response to Republican criticism of the situation at the southern border.
“Republicans are going to vote against the right of American families to decide how many children they want. Goodness gracious, if that’s going to be a contested issue in this campaign, I’ll stick with American families. I know where they stand,” said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., critiqued the move as politically motivated. “I suspect there will be some members to support it. But this is just another one, like this week we’ve got what I think is a gimmick on the border bill. He’s going to do these sort of political messaging bills because he knows he’s underwater in a couple of states,” Tillis said. “And he’s trying to create a political foothold for some of his incumbents.”
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., who is running for GOP leader next year, questioned the necessity of the vote on contraceptives. “I think Republicans do support that, yeah. I’m not sure why you need to put a bill on the floor,” Thune said.
When asked about Trump’s comments on potentially restrictive policies on contraceptives, Thune responded: “It sounds like he clarified what he meant by that. But that’s obviously not a position that’s held by me or, I would argue, most Republicans.”
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., was non-committal regarding Schumer’s plans. “We’ll see what the Democrats are going to do,” she said. “Nobody knows what they’re going to bring up.”
The impending vote underscores the Democrats’ strategy to spotlight reproductive rights and force Republicans to clarify their positions on issues that resonate deeply with many American voters.
