Republicans want to control women so much they voted against protecting contraception
The fight for reproductive justice is continuing at the federal and state levels, and the Republican Party is determined to prove its dedication to controlling women's bodies and birth control choices.
We got a reminder last week when Republicans fought off protections for contraception as a continuation of their overall desire to demand the final say in our lives, regardless of what voters want.
Despite Republican lawmaking, moves to restrict abortion further are unpopular with voters. According to Pew Research, 63% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
So, of course, Republicans have expanded their fight into pharmacy aisles by voting against a bill that would secure the right to contraception nationwide. All of us, especially women, cannot forget that this is our reality, and that it will be the issue of this election. But there are more examples.
Here are some recent updates in the fight for reproductive justice.
Senate Republicans vote against the right to contraception
The Republican Party made it clear last week that their archaic take on abortion also affects how they view birth control. On Wednesday, all but two Republican senators voted against whether to begin work on the Right to Contraception Act, 51-39.
The bill would have prohibited any laws that impede access to birth control, something that was ruled on in Griswold v. Connecticut of 1965. This is the same case that in 2022 Justice Clarence Thomas said was one that should be reassessed in his opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
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Many Republicans are calling the Right to Contraception Act a political move and a “scare tactic” because, according to them, there isn’t a threat to birth control access.
“Nobody’s going to overturn Griswold,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. “No way.”
Hawley also used the moment to spread misinformation about drugs used in abortions by conflating them with birth control. Mifepristone is not used as a contraceptive.
Perhaps Hawley missed the part of Thomas' dissent where he wrote that the Supreme Court "should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell." That, or he and his fellow Republicans are willfully ignoring the threat laid out in Thomas’ opinion.
This move to block a bill that would guarantee access to contraception is indicative of where conservatives will push the courts in the future. It's a troubling new low for a party that claims to be about personal freedom when half the country's access to freedom is improved by access to birth control.
The bill's real goal may be messaging. I can tell you that the Republican message has been heard loud and clear.
Abortion pill laws change in the South
In the South, abortion pills like mifepristone are being regulated by state governments.
It has just gotten easier to access abortion pills in North Carolina after a federal judge ruled that mifepristone does not need to be taken in a doctor’s office and can be provided by pharmacists. The ruling is an important step in improving access to abortion pills in a state that has been heavily impacted by neighboring states’ restrictive abortion policies.
Meanwhile, Louisiana is doing the opposite. In late May, the state’s governor signed a bill that reclassifies abortion pills as “controlled substances,” making it illegal to possess the drugs without a prescription.
Medication abortion is by far the most popular method of terminating a pregnancy and made up 63% of abortions last year. By passing this law, Louisiana is further criminalizing reproductive justice in a state that already outlaws abortion with very limited exceptions.
The fight for abortion access must include the right to a medication abortion. While North Carolina’s ruling is a net positive for access in the South, Louisiana proves the path forward will be complicated by state legislatures and political agendas.
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Southern states may be thought of as a red monolith, but there are still millions of women in these states who deserve access to an abortion.
These states are also the ones that have been the most restrictive since Dobbs came down. Hopefully, this will be a motivating factor in November.
The fight for abortion heads to the states
A dozen states are considering including abortion initiatives on their 2024 ballots. Four of these states – Colorado, Florida, Maryland and South Dakota – are already slated to vote on abortion access this year.
Conservatives know this is a major issue. It’s the reason they’re working so hard to restrict abortion further ahead of November and retain as much control as they can over individuals and their families.
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That’s what’s happened in Texas recently, where the Supreme Court ruled against 20 women who were denied abortions despite facing “life-threatening conditions,” upholding the state’s near-total ban.
It follows an April ruling from the Florida Supreme Court that upheld the state's 15-week ban on abortion, which also allowed a more restrictive ban to be legislated.
Voters know the importance of the issue. A KFF poll found that 1 in 8 voters say abortion is their top issue driving them to head to the polls. Come Election Day, this will be one of the main reasons people show up to vote. Republicans should be worried, and Democrats should take note.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that any of this is happening. Republicans have been clear for years that they would rather see a woman's rights slowly stripped from them than accept that not everyone shares their views on when life begins. It should, however, be a sign that November will be consequential for reproductive justice.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Republicans rejected Right to Contraception Act. Why? To control women
