Senate GOP blocks birth control access bill
The vote to protect contraception fell short amid Republican opposition


What happened
The Senate voted 51-39 on Wednesday to advance the Right to Contraception Act, short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a Republican filibuster. Two Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) joined all Democrats present to vote for the legislation, which would establish a nationwide right to "obtain contraceptives and to voluntarily engage in contraception," and for health care providers to distribute birth control.
Who said what
Republicans called the bill an unnecessary messaging "stunt" and said they understood it was an "effort to force them to take an unpopular vote," The New York Times said. "But the vast majority of them did so anyway, a sign of the strength of the anti-abortion lobby." In fact, "far-right conservatives have been trying to curtail birth control access" by falsely redefining certain types of contraception, notably the morning-after pill and IUDs, as "abortifacients," The Washington Post said.
"If it's a messaging bill, my message is I support a woman's access to contraception," Murkowski said.
What next?
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has scheduled a vote next week on a Democratic bill to protect in vitro fertilization, saying Democrats will continue to "put reproductive freedoms front and center" so voters "can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties." IVF, also broadly popular, technically runs afoul of fetal "personhood" bills backed by many Republicans.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
A running list of RFK Jr.'s controversies
In Depth The man atop the Department of Health and Human Services has had no shortage of scandals over the years
By Brigid Kennedy
-
RFK Jr.: A public-health wrecking ball
Feature Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doubles down on anti-vaccine policies amid a growing measles outbreak
By The Week US
-
Senate confirms RFK Jr. as health secretary
Speed Read The noted vaccine skeptic is now in charge of America's massive public health system
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Luigi Mangione charged with murder, terrorism
Speed Read Magnione is accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
'It's easier to break something than to build it'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Pentagon Discord leaker gets 15 years in prison
Speed Read Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guard member, leaked classified military documents
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Saudi crown prince slams Israeli 'genocide' in Gaza
Speed Read Mohammed bin Salman has condemned Israel’s actions
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump fills key slots, tapping Congress, MAGA loyalists
Speed Read The president-elect continues to fill his administration with new foreign policy, environment and immigration roles assigned
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US