WASHINGTON, DC –– Today, anti-abortion extremists in the United States Senate voted against the Right to Contraception Act, legislation that would protect access to basic birth control like oral contraceptives and IUDs at the federal level. The vote comes nearly two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, stripping millions of women of their right to safe and legal abortion. 

In the two years since the Trump-appointed Supreme Court overturned Roe, anti-abortion extremists have restricted reproductive freedom even further: They have limited access to contraception, including safe and FDA-approved abortion pills like mifepristone, blocked protections for IVF, and denied women the medical care they need to survive. In July 2022, 195 House Republicans opposed a bill that would have ensured the right to contraception nationally. Now more than ever, enshrining the right to contraception is essential to protect access to reproductive health care.

Even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe, most Americans agreed that birth control should be free and widely available if abortion were banned. According to recent polling, most Americans (53%) feel that access to contraception is in jeopardy in their home state, and more than 6 in 10 Americans are concerned that the Supreme Court will eliminate the right to contraception. 

Even though the Right to Contraception Act is supported by 8 in 10 Americans, including Democrats (94% favor / 4% oppose), independents (76% favor / 17% oppose), and Republicans (68% favor / 20% oppose), anti-abortion extremists in the Senate continue to stand in the way of guaranteeing access to contraception across the country. 

Storytellers from across the country responded to today’s vote and shared how ongoing attacks on reproductive freedom are harming their communities. 

“Obtaining birth control can be challenging, and a lot of people face obstacles in accessing the contraceptives they need,” said DakotaRei Frausto, a college student and reproductive justice organizer from San Antonio Texas who struggled to access birth control as a teenager. “We should be making it easier – not harder – for people to access contraceptives, especially at a time when extremists are making it difficult to access reproductive health care.”

“I was denied birth control when I served in the Navy and when I became pregnant, my life was turned upside down,” said Jessica Motsinger, a Navy veteran who lives in St. Louis Metro East, Illinois. “Today, anti-abortion lawmakers let Americans like me down. Providing access to contraception is not controversial – it’s empowering.”

“Every single day, patients across the country turn to doctors for help accessing contraceptives for a variety of reasons,” said Emmy Lambert, a third-year medical student at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee who plans to practice as an OB-GYN. “Lawmakers that target access to basic reproductive health care services are placing unjust harm onto patients.” 

“At a time where it is increasingly difficult to access reproductive health care, expanding access to contraception has the potential to be life-changing for people across the country,” said Veronica Ingrahm, Senior Campaigns Director for Free & Just. “Today, anti-abortion lawmakers confirmed that they will continue to attack our reproductive freedom, no matter how unpopular their efforts may be.”

If you are interested in speaking with any of the storytellers quoted above, please contact kelly@freeandjust.us. 

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Free & Just is fighting to stop attacks on reproductive freedom and rights. We’re working with people across the country to share real stories to show the devastating consequences of attacks on our reproductive freedom. We all deserve the right to control our bodies and lives. That’s why we’re sharing our stories, raising our voices, and fighting for our future.