Thursday, March 28

The US House of Representatives passes a law to protect access to contraceptives

The United States House of Representatives has approved this Thursday a bill to protect access to contraceptives throughout the country. The proposal has obtained 228 votes in favor and 195 against, only eight Republican legislators voted in favor of the measure along with the Democrats.

Progressives have argued that this right is now in question after the recent Supreme Court ruling, which eliminated the legal protection of abortion in force in the US for 50 years.

The bill must now go to the Senate, where filibustering rules mean that, in practice, almost any legislation needs a supermajority of 60 votes to pass. Democrats currently hold 50 of the 100 seats in the House, so they would need the support of at least 10 Republican senators to push the measure through.

The House of Representatives recently passed a similar bill to legally protect same-sex marriage, drawing the support of 47 Republican lawmakers, in addition to all Democrats. Some US media point out that this recent legislative push is a way of forcing conservatives to portray themselves in the face of social issues that have broad social support ahead of the legislative elections in November.

On June 24, the Supreme Court reversed a 1973 court ruling known as Roe v. Wade that protected abortion rights at the federal level. Following this decision, US President Joe Biden pledged to take action to protect women’s access to reproductive health services.



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