👩⚕️💊⚖️ One Year Afta Dobbs, People Dey Para for Di Right to Birth Control for Different State Levels.
For one year now wey Justice Clarence Thomas drop talk say Supreme Court suppose rethink whether Constitution dey give Americans right to birth control, Democrats and people wey dey fight for reproductive rights don start to prepare ground for fight against access to birth control for different states — na issue dem plan to use against Republicans for 2024.
Justice Thomas argument for Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, wey scatter Roe v. Wade and di right to abortion, make di reproductive rights movement ginger. House Democrats, join body with eight Republicans, sharp sharp pass law wey for don create national right to birth control. Republicans block di bill wey dem wan pass for Senate.
Now, people wey dey advocate for reproductive rights don carry dia matter go states. Even before Dobbs case happen, some states don already take steps to protect right to birth control, whether na through law or constitutional amendment; 13 states and District of Columbia currently get dis kind protection, according to KFF, na dem be health policy research organization.🏥📚
Dis month, e be like say victory wan come for Nevada, where di Democrats wey control Legislature pass bill, with support from few Republicans, wey for guarantee right to birth control. But on Friday, Governor Joe Lombardo, wey be Republican, quietly block di bill. People wey support to make right to birth control law see Nevada as test case. 🎯📜💔
On Wednesday, Mr. Markey and Representative Kathy Manning, Democrat of North Carolina, reintroduce legislation to create national right to contraception. But as House na Republicans dey control am now and Senate Democrats no fit reach di 60 votes wey dem need to break filibuster, di legislation don die before e reach Washington. 🏛️🚫💊
Polls don dey always show say plenty people from both parties support access to birth control, and while Republicans no too dey ready to make right to am federal law, dem no wan ban am either. But some people still dey against birth control. ⚖️🗳️💉
Di Roman Catholic Church dey against any form of artificial birth control, dem dey argue say some contraceptives “fit cause early abortions.” Some people wey dey against abortion claim say two common methods to prevent belle — intrauterine devices and emergency contraception, also known as morning-after pill and dem dey sell am as Plan B — na “abortifacients” wey dey prevent belle wey don already join from hold for woman womb. 💒🚫💊
But American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists talk say intrauterine devices dey work “mainly by preventing belle to join with sperm.” And di Food and Drug Administration talk last year say Plan B no dey prevent belle wey don already join from hold for woman womb and e no fit be abortion pill. 👩⚕️🧪🍼
People wey no dey gree for law to make birth control right talk say such law na solution without problem — or na just political show to put Republicans for tight corner and make voters reject them for ballot box. “Most Republicans see am as political vote, no be serious vote,” na wetin John Feehery, wey be Republican strategist, talk about the vote on the House bill last year. “For the Republican coalition, small but loud voice dey wey dey against birth control, but the majority of Republicans no get interest to make birth control illegal.”
Since the Dobbs decision, debates over birth control don also join body with abortion matter. Some Republicans wey vote against di House bill complain say it go send more money go Planned Parenthood, na dem be major providers of abortions. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Republican of Washington, talk say di bill na “Trojan horse for more abortions.”
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., wey write for di majority for Dobbs case, emphasize say di ruling “concern di constitutional right to abortion and no other right.” But for him own separate opinion, Justice Thomas talk say Supreme Court suppose rethink other rulings, including Griswold v. Connecticut, na 1965 decision wey confirm di right of married people to use birth control. He talk say di way dem reason for Dobbs case scatter Griswold. 🏛️🔍📜
Even for Nevada — where voters don use referendum make right to abortion law since over thirty years ago, for 1990 — e hard for people wey support the bill to convince Republicans to sign. Na di main person wey sponsor the bill, Assemblywoman Selena Torres, a Democrat, talk am for interview before di veto say abortion been overshadow di legislative debate. 🏜️💔📝
“This na very different matter from abortion,” na wetin Ms. Torres talk. “But I think say the Dobbs decision na wetin dey drive this conversation.” Supporters of making a right to birth control law hope to use Nevada as example for other states, and also to put pressure on Republicans for Congress.
For Washington, people get quick explanation for why many Republicans vote against the House bill: Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, na dem be anti-abortion group, decide to include the vote for their scorecard for lawmakers. The group yab the measure as the “Payouts for Planned Parenthood Act” and say e go “trample conscience rights” for states wey allow health providers or pharmacists to refuse to give birth control.
“If you be Republican, you go wan make people see you as pro-life, and the Susan B. Anthony group, dem dey help define who be pro-life,” na so Mr. Feehery, the Republican strategist, talk am, e come add, “I think say most Republicans go prefer to stand for the side of Susan B. Anthony pass to stand for the side of Planned Parenthood.” 💬🐘📉
NOW IN ENGLISH
👩⚕️💊⚖️ A Year After Dobbs, People are Disturbed about the Right to Birth Control at Various State Levels.
Since Justice Clarence Thomas asserted a year ago that the Supreme Court should reassess whether the Constitution grants Americans the right to birth control, Democrats and reproductive rights activists have begun laying the groundwork for a fight against access to birth control at various state levels — an issue they plan to use against Republicans in 2024.
Justice Thomas’s argument in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, which jeopardized Roe v. Wade and the right to abortion, invigorated the reproductive rights movement. House Democrats, allied with eight Republicans, promptly passed a bill that would have established a national right to birth control. However, Republicans blocked the bill in the Senate.
Now, reproductive rights advocates have taken their case to the states. Even before the Dobbs case, some states had already begun protecting the right to birth control, either through legislation or constitutional amendment; 13 states and the District of Columbia currently have such protections in place, according to KFF, a health policy research organization.🏥📚
This month, it seemed that victory was imminent in Nevada, where the Democrat-controlled Legislature passed a bill, with support from a few Republicans, that would guarantee the right to birth control. But on Friday, Governor Joe Lombardo, a Republican, quietly vetoed the bill. Those advocating for the right to birth control see Nevada as a test case. 🎯📜💔
On Wednesday, Mr. Markey and Representative Kathy Manning, Democrat of North Carolina, reintroduced legislation to establish a national right to contraception. But with the House now under Republican control and Senate Democrats unable to muster the 60 votes needed to break a filibuster, the legislation was dead on arrival in Washington. 🏛️🚫💊
Polls have consistently shown that many people from both parties support access to birth control, and while Republicans are not eager to make it a federal law, they don’t want to ban it either. However, some opposition to birth control still exists. ⚖️🗳️💉
The Roman Catholic Church opposes any form of artificial birth control, arguing that some contraceptives can “cause early abortions.” Some abortion opponents claim that two common methods of pregnancy prevention — intrauterine devices and emergency contraception, also known as the morning-after pill and sold as Plan B — are “abortifacients” that prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in a woman’s womb. 💒🚫💊
However, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states that intrauterine devices work “mainly by preventing fertilization of the egg by the sperm.” And last year, the Food and Drug Administration stated that Plan B does not prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in a woman’s womb and cannot be classified as an abortion pill. 👩⚕️🧪🍼
Those who oppose legislation to make birth control a right argue that such a law is a solution without a problem — or simply a political spectacle aimed at cornering Republicans and prompting voters to reject them at the ballot box. “Most Republicans see it as a political vote, not a serious vote,” said John Feehery, a Republican strategist, about the vote on the House bill last year. “Within the Republican coalition, there’s a small but vocal minority against birth control, but the majority of Republicans have no desire to make birth control illegal.”
Since the Dobbs decision, debates over birth control have become intertwined with the abortion issue. Some Republicans who voted against the House bill complained that it would funnel more money to Planned Parenthood, a major provider of abortions. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican from Washington, claimed that the bill was a “Trojan horse for more abortions.”
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., who wrote the majority opinion in the Dobbs case, emphasized that the ruling concerned “the constitutional right to abortion and no other right.” But in his separate opinion, Justice Thomas suggested that the Supreme Court should reconsider other rulings, including Griswold v. Connecticut, a 1965 decision affirming the right of married couples to use birth control. He argued that the reasoning used in the Dobbs case undermined Griswold. 🏛️🔍📜
Even in Nevada — where voters passed a referendum to make the right to abortion law over thirty years ago, in 1990 — it was difficult for supporters of the bill to persuade Republicans to sign. The main sponsor of the bill, Assemblywoman Selena Torres, a Democrat, said in an interview before the veto that the abortion issue had overshadowed the legislative debate. 🏜️💔📝
“This is a very different issue from abortion,” Ms. Torres said. “But I think that the Dobbs decision is driving this conversation.” Supporters of enshrining the right to birth control in law hope to use Nevada as an example for other states, and to put pressure on Republicans in Congress.
In Washington, there’s a quick explanation for why many Republicans voted against the House bill: Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an anti-abortion group, decided to include the vote in their scorecard for lawmakers. The group criticized the measure as the “Payouts for Planned Parenthood Act” and said it would “trample conscience rights” in states that allow health providers or pharmacists to refuse to provide birth control.
“If you’re a Republican, you want to be seen as pro-life, and the Susan B. Anthony group helps define who is pro-life,” said Mr. Feehery, the Republican strategist, adding, “I think most Republicans would rather stand with Susan B. Anthony than with Planned Parenthood.” 💬🐘📉
