On Thursday, July 21, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Right to Contraception Act to protect access to contraceptive care nationwide.
The vote was a direct response to the Supreme Court’s ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned federal abortion protections.
In his majority opinion on Dobbs v. Jackson, Justice Clarence Thomas took the outrageous step of indicating that the Court should also reconsider other hard-won, basic human rights, including the right to contraception and same sex marriage.
Access to contraception has been constitutionally protected for nearly six decades by the Supreme Court’s 1965 ruling in Griswold v. Connecticut. Along with quality abortion care, access to contraceptives is a driving factor in socioeconomic development and community wellbeing.
To protect this ruling, the Right to Contraception Act would guarantee the right for all Americans to purchase and use contraception without government restriction.
The act passed in the House along near party lines. All Democratic Washington representatives voted ‘yes’, while all three Republican Washington Representatives—Jaime Herrera Beutler of Battle Ground, Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Spokane, and Dan Newhouse of Sunnyside—were among the 195 Republican members of Congress who voted ‘no’.
“Three Washington representatives had the audacity to vote against the right to contraceptive care. In doing so, they aimed to remove our right to make decisions about our bodies and targeted women, LGBTQIA+, and people of color. This cannot be tolerated,” said Pro-Choice Washington Executive Director Kia Guarino. “We will not cede our power to those who are looking to take it. It is critical for every person to vote this November to ensure reproductive freedom champions represent us at the national and state levels.”
