Democrats’ contraception bill failed in a key procedural vote on Wednesday, with Republicans blasting the sweeping proposal for its impact on parental rights and religious freedom.
The Senate voted 51-39 against moving forward with the “Birth Control Bill of Rights.”
The bill needed 60 votes to advance in the Senate.
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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, R-New York, sits before the Senate Rules and Administration Committee as he speaks Monday about gun control bills that could become law. (Elizabeth Franz/via The Associated Press)
Ahead of the vote to shut down the legislature, a majority of Republican senators had already signed onto a statement led by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) condemning the bill as an attempt to “score easy political points.”
“Today every senator must take a stand: If you agree that every American has a right to contraception, then vote for the Birth Control Act of Rights,” Republican Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a speech before the vote.
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Packages of the emergency contraceptive pill Plan B One-Step are seen in security packaging at a CVS Pharmacy in Washington on July 7, 2022. (Reuters/Sarah Silbiger)
But Republicans argued it’s not that simple.
Republicans say the bill “infringes on the parental rights and religious freedoms of some Americans and would allow the federal government to compel religious institutions, schools and even public elementary schools to provide condoms and other contraception to young children.”
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Sen. Rick Scott joined more than 20 other Republicans in issuing a statement denounced the Democrats’ contraception bill. (Getty Images)
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, the peak pro-life group, called the bill “misleading” in a press release, pointing out the impact the bill’s provisions would have on the funding Planned Parenthood is eligible to receive and the funding allowed for pro-life pregnancy centers.
“It’s the season for ‘show votes’ in the Senate,” Senate Pro-Life Caucus Chairwoman Cindy Hyde Smith (R-Miss.) said Wednesday.
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Pro-life demonstrators hold signs as they march in front of the US Supreme Court during the 46th annual March for Life in Washington, DC, USA, on January 18, 2019. People from across the country gathered in Washington DC today for the annual anti-abortion rally, which included a video message from President Trump and a speech from Vice President Mike Pence. (Getty Images)
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“This is another example of Democrats introducing a highly deceptive bill to make a political point and protect vulnerable Democrats,” she said.
But “the devil is in the details,” the senator explained. “This bill isn’t about access to birth control. It’s about funneling even more taxpayer money to abortion providers like Planned Parenthood, and further trampling on religious freedom and parental rights.”
