The U.S. Senate is expected to take a procedural vote on the Right to Contraception Act, highlighting how much access to birth control divides Democrats and Republicans.

Washington

The U.S. Senate is expected to take a procedural vote on the Right to Contraception Act, highlighting the political divide over access to birth control. Landmark Supreme Court decisions in the 1960s and 70s affirmed Americans' right to privacy and access to contraception. However, the Dobbs decision and comments by Justice Clarence Thomas have led Democrats to seek proactive measures to protect birth control access.

Currently, 14 states ban abortion and six have very early gestational limits, raising concerns about limited options if contraception fails or is inaccessible. According to the CDC, 65% of women aged 15 to 49 use some form of contraception. Republicans argue that the Right to Contraception Act could infringe on doctors' religious freedom and provide access to abortion drugs, though medical professionals distinguish between contraception and abortion.

Doctors assert that methods like the pill, IUDs, and emergency contraception aim to prevent pregnancy before it begins. Confusing legal language around reproductive rights and terms like "personhood" complicates interpretation. Democrats continue to push reproductive health care bills in Congress, maintaining the issue's prominence as elections approach.



Why is access to birth control controversial?

The availability of birth control, as we know it today, dates back to Supreme Court decisions in the 1960s and 70s. The landmark cases affirmed Americans' right to privacy, including the right to access contraception. Then, in the Dobbs decision two years ago, Justice Clarence Thomas suggested overturning those precedents. So Democrats in Congress are trying to proactively protect birth control access. People have become more aware. There are 14 states that ban abortion. There are six that have very early gestational limits. And so people are aware that their options would be limited if their contraception failed or they didn't have access to their contraception. The latest data from the CDC shows 65 percent of women between ages 15 and 49 use some kind of contraception. But Republicans have pushed back, arguing the Right to Contraception Act doesn't protect doctors' religious freedom and would allow access to abortion drugs. Doctors say there is a clear line between what qualifies as contraception and what is an abortion. There are sort of very deliberate sources of misinformation that are telling people that birth control in Plan B is the same as an abortion. But it's not. From a medical standpoint, it's not at all. Birth control, like the pill, IUDs and even emergency contraception, are all aimed at stopping a pregnancy before it starts. But the lack of clarity among lawmakers about what is contraception and what is an abortion has led to confusing language in laws about reproductive rights. It's hard to interpret certain terms that are in the law because they don't really have any medical meaning. You know, things like personhood obviously is a really important concept, but that doesn't have any clinical meaning to us at all. Democrats are trying to move multiple reproductive health care bills through Congress, which will likely keep the issue top of mind through Election Day. Stephanie Liebergen, Scripps News, Washington.

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