U.S. Senate Republicans just blocked the Right to Contraception Act (H.R. 4121), a bill designed to guarantee individuals the right to purchase and use contraceptives. This measure, covering birth control pills, Plan B, vasectomies and other forms of contraception, was deemed too broad and unnecessary by GOP lawmakers.
Yet, nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, it’s clear that politicians are intensifying efforts to control the bodies of those who can get pregnant. The politicians who oppose this act are often the same ones against comprehensive sex education and abortion. Among those who voted against the bill is Utah Sen. Mike Lee. Sen. Mitt Romney did not attend the vote. Both are well-known for their anti-abortion stance.
Access to contraceptives is essential for protecting reproductive rights, reducing unwanted pregnancies and promoting public health. The Senate GOP’s obstruction of the Right to Contraception Act reveals a hypocritical and dangerous agenda aimed at undermining bodily autonomy and individual freedoms.
Public Roars, Politicians Snore
The refusal to pass the Right to Contraception Act is a political maneuver that directly attacks reproductive rights.
Shireen Ghorbani, the chief corporate affairs officer for Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, said we must consider “what it means when something is supported and why we have one party, the Republican Party, who does not want to say you have a right to contraception in this country.”
Despite over 90% of Americans supporting access to contraception, Republicans argue that access isn’t under threat, yet their actions suggest otherwise.
“All of these issues are tied up together in the sense that we live in a country where the people who are making our laws are really out of touch with how most Americans feel,” Ghorbani said.
Your Family, Your Choice
A country where public officials strip others of their right to use contraceptives will always result in unwanted pregnancies and, consequently, abortions. Abortions occur regardless of legality. Banning this right will push pregnant people into unsafe procedures that endanger their lives.
Forms of contraception like birth control pills, sterilization and Plan B play a vital role in family planning and personal autonomy. These tools allow individuals to make informed choices about their reproductive health.
Blocking access undermines individual rights and disregards the well-being of millions. Recent rulings, like the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision on frozen embryos, further complicate matters by creating uncertainty around IVF and fertility treatments.
Ghorbani said that people use contraceptives to “determine the size and shape of your family.” The data speaks for itself: access to contraception lowers the rate of teen pregnancies and abortions. It’s a straightforward cause-and-effect relationship that Republicans ignore.
Safe or Sorry?
The GOP’s resistance against comprehensive sex education reveals a deeper hypocrisy. Comprehensive sex education equips individuals with knowledge about their bodies, safe sex practices and the effective use of contraceptives.
Denying this education while also restricting access to birth control creates a perfect storm for increased teen pregnancies and abortions. It’s a classic case of saying one thing and doing another. If the goal is to reduce abortions, then access to contraception is non-negotiable.
This education reduces the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancies. Yet, many politicians oppose comprehensive sex education, pushing abstinence-only programs that have proven ineffective. Ghorbani said that this form of education “reinforces ideas of shame around sexuality.”
Although there has been a rise in federal funding for these programs, young people who pledge to abstain until marriage have higher rates of non-marital pregnancy than those who do not pledge. This is because they are less likely to use contraceptives.
The Republican Party opposes both the education that could prevent unwanted pregnancies and the tools that could avert them. This double standard is detrimental to public health and individual autonomy.
What Is the GOP’s Agenda?
The opposition to both contraception and comprehensive sex education reveals an agenda aimed at controlling reproductive rights. This control extends beyond personal health and into personal freedom, perpetuating a patriarchal hold on bodily autonomy. This regressive stance reflects a time when women and other marginalized groups had even less control over their reproductive choices.
We must stand up for reproductive rights and ensure that everyone has access to the knowledge and tools they need to make decisions about their bodies and futures. This is not an exclusively political issue — it’s a human rights crisis. We cannot afford to ignore it.
