Kildee Votes to Protect Access to Contraception

Press Release

Congressman Dan Kildee, Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Caucus, today applauded the passage of legislation to protect Michiganders' right to make their own health care decisions, including the freedom to obtain and use birth control and contraceptives.

H.R. 8373, the Right to Contraception Act, would ensure that every Michigander has the freedom to decide when and if to start a family, and to protect a doctors' ability to prescribe contraceptives for a variety of reasons, including balancing hormones, reducing the risk of certain reproductive cancers and reducing pregnancy-related death.

In overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court demonstrated its willingness to take away rights previously granted by the court, including the right to contraception. Sitting U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly called for the court to reconsider Griswold v. Connecticut, the landmark case that first recognized the constitutional right to use contraceptives. Now, some elected officials see the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade as an opening to try to block or ban certain contraceptive methods, something Congressman Kildee does not support.

"Every family should have the freedom to decide when to start a family. The extreme decision to overturn Roe lays the groundwork for our nation's highest court to potentially roll back other individual rights like access to birth control," said Congressman Kildee. "I am proud to vote for this critical legislation to protect the right to access contraception, and I will not stop fighting to protect Michiganders' freedom over their own health care decisions."

Specifically, the bill would:

Establish a statutory right to obtain contraceptives and for health care providers to provide contraceptives, contraception and information related to contraception;
Protect against any state laws that attempt to restrict access to contraceptives and affirms the Attorney General's enforcement authority to bring civil actions against any state that attempts to do so;
Establish a private right of action for individuals to enforce their right to obtain contraceptives and for health care providers to enforce their right to provide contraceptives and information related to contraception.

Congressman Kildee continues to work to ensure Michiganders can make their own health care decisions. Last week, Congressman Kildee supported, and the U.S. House of Representatives passed, two bills to guarantee the right to an abortion and reaffirm the right of Americans to freely travel throughout the country to access reproductive care.

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