WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) signed a discharge petition to force a vote on H.R. 4121, the Right to Contraception Act. Last year, Blunt Rochester cosponsored this legislation, which would enshrine the right to contraception into federal law. A discharge petition is a maneuver that forces the Majority party to bring a bill up for a vote.
“For the first time in our nation’s history, a constitutional right was taken away from millions of Americans in the Dobbs decision. We cannot allow the right to contraception to experience the same fate. That’s why I am proud to join alongside my colleagues in signing a discharge petition to bring the Right to Contraception Act to the House Floor for a vote,” said Blunt Rochester, member of the House Health Subcommittee. “While I am encouraged that Delaware is working to expand access to contraception, the availability of contraception is under direct threat in states across the country. With this action today, I am continuing my efforts to get this bill across the finish line to protect and expand our reproductive freedoms nationwide.”
This effort comes just weeks ahead of the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court ruling, which overturned critical abortion protections secured under Roe v. Wade. Since then, Republican-backed legislatures across the country have introduced extreme laws that threatens access to abortion care and contraception.
The Right to Contraception Act has over 200 cosponsors in the House. It would establish a federal statutory right to contraception, protecting both the rights of those who use birth control as well as those who provide birth control services. It would also preempt any state law that would restrict access to contraception, such as a state age limit on over-the-counter contraceptives or bans on types of birth control like emergency contraception or intrauterine devices (IUDs).
Specifically, the bill:
- Establishes a statutory right for people to obtain contraceptives and engage in contraception, free from coercion;
- Gives health care providers a statutory right to provide contraceptives and information, referrals, and services related to contraception;
- Makes clear that these rights cannot be infringed upon or limited by laws that single out or impede access to contraception, contraception providers or facilities, or contraception-related information;
- Prohibits the federal government or states from prohibiting or restricting the sale, provision, or use of contraception or preventing an individual from helping someone obtain or use contraception; and
- Allows individuals, providers, and the U.S. Attorney General to sue states or government officials that unlawfully restrict the right to birth control.
Blunt Rochester is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee as well as the Pro-Choice Caucus in Congress. She is a cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation to protect the right to abortion in federal law. Blunt Rochester also voted for the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, a bill to stop state legislatures from criminalizing those who have to travel across state lines for abortion care. In March, she brought Planned Parenthood of Delaware’s CEO as her guest for the State of the Union, underscoring how critical the fight to protect reproductive freedom and expand access to reproductive care is.
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WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) signed a discharge petition to force a vote on H.R. 4121, the Right to Contraception Act. Last year, Blunt Rochester cosponsored this legislation, which would enshrine the right to contraception into federal law. A discharge petition is a maneuver that forces the Majority party to bring a bill up for a vote.
“For the first time in our nation’s history, a constitutional right was taken away from millions of Americans in the Dobbs decision. We cannot allow the right to contraception to experience the same fate. That’s why I am proud to join alongside my colleagues in signing a discharge petition to bring the Right to Contraception Act to the House Floor for a vote,” said Blunt Rochester, member of the House Health Subcommittee. “While I am encouraged that Delaware is working to expand access to contraception, the availability of contraception is under direct threat in states across the country. With this action today, I am continuing my efforts to get this bill across the finish line to protect and expand our reproductive freedoms nationwide.”
This effort comes just weeks ahead of the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court ruling, which overturned critical abortion protections secured under Roe v. Wade. Since then, Republican-backed legislatures across the country have introduced extreme laws that threatens access to abortion care and contraception.
The Right to Contraception Act has over 200 cosponsors in the House. It would establish a federal statutory right to contraception, protecting both the rights of those who use birth control as well as those who provide birth control services. It would also preempt any state law that would restrict access to contraception, such as a state age limit on over-the-counter contraceptives or bans on types of birth control like emergency contraception or intrauterine devices (IUDs).
Specifically, the bill:
- Establishes a statutory right for people to obtain contraceptives and engage in contraception, free from coercion;
- Gives health care providers a statutory right to provide contraceptives and information, referrals, and services related to contraception;
- Makes clear that these rights cannot be infringed upon or limited by laws that single out or impede access to contraception, contraception providers or facilities, or contraception-related information;
- Prohibits the federal government or states from prohibiting or restricting the sale, provision, or use of contraception or preventing an individual from helping someone obtain or use contraception; and
- Allows individuals, providers, and the U.S. Attorney General to sue states or government officials that unlawfully restrict the right to birth control.
Blunt Rochester is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee as well as the Pro-Choice Caucus in Congress. She is a cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation to protect the right to abortion in federal law. Blunt Rochester also voted for the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, a bill to stop state legislatures from criminalizing those who have to travel across state lines for abortion care. In March, she brought Planned Parenthood of Delaware’s CEO as her guest for the State of the Union, underscoring how critical the fight to protect reproductive freedom and expand access to reproductive care is.
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WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) signed a discharge petition to force a vote on H.R. 4121, the Right to Contraception Act. Last year, Blunt Rochester cosponsored this legislation, which would enshrine the right to contraception into federal law. A discharge petition is a maneuver that forces the Majority party to bring a bill up for a vote.
“For the first time in our nation’s history, a constitutional right was taken away from millions of Americans in the Dobbs decision. We cannot allow the right to contraception to experience the same fate. That’s why I am proud to join alongside my colleagues in signing a discharge petition to bring the Right to Contraception Act to the House Floor for a vote,” said Blunt Rochester, member of the House Health Subcommittee. “While I am encouraged that Delaware is working to expand access to contraception, the availability of contraception is under direct threat in states across the country. With this action today, I am continuing my efforts to get this bill across the finish line to protect and expand our reproductive freedoms nationwide.”
This effort comes just weeks ahead of the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization Supreme Court ruling, which overturned critical abortion protections secured under Roe v. Wade. Since then, Republican-backed legislatures across the country have introduced extreme laws that threatens access to abortion care and contraception.
The Right to Contraception Act has over 200 cosponsors in the House. It would establish a federal statutory right to contraception, protecting both the rights of those who use birth control as well as those who provide birth control services. It would also preempt any state law that would restrict access to contraception, such as a state age limit on over-the-counter contraceptives or bans on types of birth control like emergency contraception or intrauterine devices (IUDs).
Specifically, the bill:
- Establishes a statutory right for people to obtain contraceptives and engage in contraception, free from coercion;
- Gives health care providers a statutory right to provide contraceptives and information, referrals, and services related to contraception;
- Makes clear that these rights cannot be infringed upon or limited by laws that single out or impede access to contraception, contraception providers or facilities, or contraception-related information;
- Prohibits the federal government or states from prohibiting or restricting the sale, provision, or use of contraception or preventing an individual from helping someone obtain or use contraception; and
- Allows individuals, providers, and the U.S. Attorney General to sue states or government officials that unlawfully restrict the right to birth control.
Blunt Rochester is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee as well as the Pro-Choice Caucus in Congress. She is a cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, legislation to protect the right to abortion in federal law. Blunt Rochester also voted for the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, a bill to stop state legislatures from criminalizing those who have to travel across state lines for abortion care. In March, she brought Planned Parenthood of Delaware’s CEO as her guest for the State of the Union, underscoring how critical the fight to protect reproductive freedom and expand access to reproductive care is.
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