House Republicans Vote Against Protecting Same-Sex Marriage, Birth Control

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In the past week, an overwhelming majority of House Republicans have struck down a number of bills aimed at protecting women’s rights, per the HuffPost.

On Thursday (July 21), 195 House Republicans voted against legislation protecting women’s access to birth control and other forms of contraception.

When the House voted on Tuesday (July 19) to codify same-sex marriage, 157 Republicans struck down the measure.

Legislation that ensures women are able to travel across state lines for an abortion was also voted against by 205 House Republicans.

House Democrats proposed these bills following last month’s Supreme Court ruling against Roe v. Wade, a landmark case that protected women’s constitutional right to an abortion for nearly 50 years.

Republicans argued that the bills were unnecessary because the right to birth control and the right to same-sex marriage isn’t at risk.

“In no way, shape or form is access to contraception limited or at risk of being limited,” Representative Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) said on Thursday during the birth control bill debate. “The liberal majority is clearly trying to stoke fears and mislead the American people once again because in their minds stoking fear clearly is the only way that they can win.”

However, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority has stated its desire to roll back other landmark precedents.

“In future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell,” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion when SCOTUS struck down Roe v. Wade.

Rep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) connected the Supreme Court’s decision to how Republicans are now voting in Congress.

“When Clarence Thomas said he wanted to take away a woman’s right to birth control, some told me that is just his opinion,” Kim tweeted. “But now I saw 195 of my Republican colleagues reject protection for contraceptives. This is not just an opinion of one man. This is their plan.”

Despite an overwhelming number of House Republicans voting against this week’s bills, all of the measures passed because of the majority Democrats currently hold.

However, upcoming midterm elections could soon shift the majority back to Republicans, giving them the power to set the chamber’s agenda.

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