Congresswoman Scanlon Votes to Protect Right to Marriage Equality, Contraception Amid Right-Wing Threats
Washington,
July 22, 2022
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) voted this week to pass two bills to protect Americans’ fundamental rights to marriage equality and contraception in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the suggestion that the justices may seek to overturn other settled civil rights precedents. The Right to Contraception Act and the Respect for Marriage Act will codify these fundamental rights and protect those threatened by their repeal. Rep. Scanlon also led the floor debate on the rule for the two bills ahead of the House’s vote.
“In the wake of the Dobbs decision, we are seeing Republican legislatures across the country rush to implement or try to pass abortion bans, including in Pennsylvania,” said Rep. Scanlon. “But the impact of the Dobbs decision does not end there. The politicized conservative majority in the Supreme Court has set our country on a perilous path by providing a roadmap to reconsider and overturn other fundamental freedoms. Newly empowered extremists are now threatening to criminalize birth control and end marriage equality, two basic freedoms that the overwhelming majority of Americans support. We owe it to our families to take proactive measures like these two bills to protect their right to marry who they love and make their own family planning decisions.”
The Respect for Marriage Act will enshrine marriage equality in federal law and prohibit state officials from discriminating against same-sex and interracial couples. It will officially repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a discriminatory statute that sought to bar same-sex couples from marriage under federal law.
The Right to Contraception Act establishes a statutory right to obtain, use, and provide contraception under federal law, preempting radical extremist attempts to ban or criminalize contraception. This legislation will also prohibit states from impeding access to contraception, including measures that limit providers’ ability to share information about contraception.
Rep. Scanlon’s votes this week build on her votes the previous week to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act to reinstate the protections of Roe v. Wade and the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act to make sure Americans can travel safely to states where abortion care is accessible.
Find the full text of the Right to Contraception Act here.
Find the full text of the Respect for Marriage Act here. ### |
