House passes bill codifying right to contraception

(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

published 21 July 2022

The House on Thursday passed legislation enshrining the right to contraception nationwide, in hopes of protecting the issue from future Supreme Court decisions a la Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

Named The Right to Contraception Act, the bill would establish federal protections for those in need of and those who provide contraceptives, as well as "allow the Justice Department and entities harmed by contraception restrictions to seek enforcement of the right in court," NBC News writes. Eight Republicans — including Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Liz Cheney of Wyoming — voted alongside all 220 Democrats.

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After Justice Clarence Thomas suggested in his concurring Dobbs opinion that other federal protections widely considered settled law be revisited, Congressional Democrats have moved to enshrine such policies in legislation. The votes also act as a "final argument" ahead of midterms, in which Democrats hope to "draw a sharp contrast with the GOP by painting the party as extreme on social issues that are broadly popular with voters," writes The Washington Post.

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Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.

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