The GOP’s deafening silence on access to contraception

Republican lawmakers and candidates must address the urgent need to protect the right to contraception instead of bowing to special interest groups on the far right that peddle false narratives that put women at risk.

During the first GOP presidential debate, candidates engaged in lively exchanges over numerous policies, yet the topic of contraception remained conspicuously absent. Only former UN ambassador Nikki Haley addressed the issue, asking her fellow candidates, “Can’t we agree that contraception should be available?” But her call for discussion fell on deaf ears, as she was derided and shouted down by the men on the stage.

As a former Republican state senator and health committee chair, I believe it is crucial to bring attention to the mostly deafening silence from Republican lawmakers and candidates, including those running for president, on this vital issue. At the same time, we must see through transparent attempts by some on the right merely to pay lip service to the issue.

Contraception is a practical and widely accepted method for preventing unintended pregnancies, addressing medical issues and promoting overall well-being. Approximately 99 percent of women in the United States, regardless of their socioeconomic status or political affiliation, have used contraception at some point in their lives.

However, the disconnect between the far right and the electorate on contraception is enormous, as evidenced by poll after poll showing that Americans support contraception by a whopping 90 percent to 10 percent margin. Despite such overwhelming public support, the urgent need for legislation to protect the right to contraception has never been greater as threats to this fundamental right continue to mount.

Last year, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas called on the courts to revoke the 1965 ruling preventing the federal government from restricting access to basic contraception for married couples. Soon afterward, 195 Republican members of Congress voted against the “Right to Contraception Act, which would have codified the right to contraception in federal law. The bill was only several pages long and listed contraceptive methods such as condoms, IUDs, the pill, patches, emergency contraception and the ring. Senate Republicans proceeded to block all action on the measure in the Senate and did so again in June.

Meanwhile, state lawmakers across the country have introduced legislation that could ban common forms of birth control, including IUDs. Some states have already enacted laws allowing health care providers to refuse to provide or cover contraception.

Sadly, when it comes to contraception, today’s Republican Party continually demonstrates that it cares more about pleasing its extremist base, wealthy special interests and ideologically driven organizations like Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America than protecting the American people’s fundamental rights and freedoms. Even scarier, Republicans’ extremism comes at a time when all that protects the right to contraception — e.g., birth control pills, IUDs and condoms — are U.S. Supreme Court decisions that can be overturned just like other longstanding rulings.

Given the enormous stakes, voters deserve to know where all candidates stand on protecting the right to contraception — a fundamental human right so central to an individual’s privacy, health, well-being, career growth and participation in our nation’s social and economic life. And the only way to ensure our right to contraception is to pass new laws like the Right to Contraception Act at the state and federal levels, which requires us to elect more leaders committed to protecting this fundamental right.

In North Carolina, lawmakers are advocating for The Right to Use Contraception Act, which seeks to codify contraception as a right in state law. Wisconsin and Arizona are also moving to pass their statewide Right to Contraception Acts to protect people’s right to access contraception, including options like condoms, the pill and IUDs.

It is our job as citizens to hold candidates accountable for their views on this issue and whether they support calls for rigorous legislation to secure protections in law. But that’s possible only if they are pressed to state their positions on the record. A refusal to acknowledge and defend the right to contraception threatens individual autonomy and health care access, perpetuates inequalities, undermines economic growth and neglects the well-being of women.

Together, we must demand transparency from candidates and ensure that protecting the right to contraception becomes a priority for our elected officials.

Candidates running for office must answer essential questions like whether they stand with Justice Thomas and extremist Republican lawmakers on contraception or 90-plus percent of Americans. Do they think it’s OK for Americans to be forced to jump through ridiculous hoops or pay extra for birth control? Will they support legislation to protect the right to contraception?

It’s time to stop dancing around the issue.

Heather Carter is a former Republican state senator, health committee chair and a board member of Americans For Contraception.