Washington (June 4, 2024) - Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension (HELP) Committee’s Subcommittee on Primary Health & Retirement Security, Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) released the following statement ahead of the Senate vote on the Right to Contraception Act. The bill would guarantee the right for people to obtain and use contraceptives and for health providers to prescribe contraceptives and give information related to contraception, free from government interference.   

“Decades after the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the constitutional right to access contraception, this same right is being threatened for millions of Americans as a result of Republicans’ successful efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade. Across the country, extreme state abortion bans are undermining access to Plan B, survivors of sexual violence are facing greater challenges obtaining emergency contraception, health providers are being prevented from educating their patients on birth control options, and a sitting Supreme Court justice called for the reconsideration of this constitutional right, as other extremist judges rule in favor of limiting access to contraception. 

“Economic, social, and personal freedom are attacked when the right to contraception comes under attack. We’ve seen this Supreme Court willingly overturn decades of legal precedent to peel back reproductive rights, and we are unwilling to stand by as threats to the right to contraception escalate. The solution is to protect the right to contraception by passing our Right to Contraception Act. 

“This vote will put each Senator on the record on their willingness to stand up for the health and freedom of every American. Protecting the right to access and provide contraception free from government interference should be easy, but MAGA extremists want to make it hard. We look forward to voting yes to protect this right.”

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