On July 21, the House of Representatives passed a bill to protect American women’s right to health care.
The bill, called the Right to Contraception Act, protects access to birth control and contraception, giving Americans the ability to make their own health-related decisions.
After the Supreme Court overturned the near 50-year-old precedent of Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationally, many have worried that the Court could also overturn other Constitutionally recognized rights, such as same-sex marriage and contraception. This measure was pushed after the Supreme Court’s ruling to eradicate the long-held constitutional right to an abortion.
The bill passed the House with a 228-195 vote with bipartisan support. Eight Republicans joined all Democrats voting in favor of the measure.
Republican Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, John Katko of New York, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Fred Upton of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Maria Salazar of Florida, and Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio voted in favor of the bill to protect women’s rights.
The White House supported the passing of the bill, stating that access to birth control is “essential to ensuring all people have control over personal decisions about their own health, lives, and families.”
It now will have to pass the Senate, but it is unlikely to receive the ten Republican votes necessary to pass a filibuster.
Rep. Kathy Manning of North Carolina, who sponsored the bill, said those in opposition of the bill “are working to take away the rights of women, to take away our right to decide when to have children, to take away our right to control our own lives and our own bodies, and we will not let this happen."
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