1. United States
2. S.C.
3. Letter

Another tone deaf and misogynistic vote by the Republican party happened last week. Senate Republicans blocked legislation that would enshrine a federal right to access contraception. Republicans said it was unnecessary because the use of birth control is already protected under Supreme Court precedent. “We saw what the Supreme Court did on abortion, and now there’s a real risk they may do the same thing on contraception,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren said, “I’m really sick of this idea that the Republicans think they can say two things simultaneously — they can talk to their extremist group and say, ‘I’ll give you everything you want. We are going to ban abortion, IVF, contraception, everything you want,’ and then try to say to the rest of America, ‘Boy, we don’t want any part in that.’” The legislation would have establish nationwide rights for individuals to “obtain contraceptives and to voluntarily engage in contraception” and protect health care providers who offer it. It defines contraceptives as “any drug, device, or biological product intended for use in the prevention of pregnancy” and prohibits the federal government or states from enforcing laws or standards that impede that right. It empowers the Justice Department and affected private entities to sue to enforce the new protections. “If it's a messaging bill, my message is: I support a woman's access to contraception. Pretty simple. So if we're going to play messaging, that's my message,” Senator Murkowski said. This should not have been a hard policy to support. This is what happens when we let men decide women's fate. This is what happens when we let politicians play doctor. Women always come out the loser.