Congressman Castro Votes to Block Far-right Efforts to Restrict Access to Birth Control

Press Release

Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) voted to pass the Right to Contraception Act, legislation that would prohibit states from restricting access to contraception.

"The Supreme Court's dangerous decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has emboldened far-right Republicans to force themselves into the most private decisions that Americans can make," said Congressman Castro. "As extremist lawmakers introduce bills to restrict access to birth control and basic reproductive freedoms, every sane member of Congress should be fighting back. The 195 Republicans who voted against today's bill just showed the country how extreme and out-of-touch their party has become."

Today's House vote comes after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas urged the Court to reconsider the precedent set in Griswold v. Connecticut, the 1965 case that protects the right to buy and use contraceptives without government intrusion. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month, legislators in several states introduced or proposed legislation that could potentially ban forms of birth control including intrauterine devices (IUDs).

At the present time, birth control and emergency contraception remain legal in Texas.

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