NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A wave of backlash ensued after Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) voted against congressional legislation that would have protected contraceptives from government interference.
The bill, called the Right to Contraception Act, was introduced by a group of Senate Democrats after the 2022 Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, who recognized abortion as a fundamental freedom protected by the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution.
Senator Blackburn argued that the Right to Contraception Act was unnecessary because contraception is legal and nothing threatens access.
📧 Get breaking news – Subscribe to News 2 email alerts →
She issued the following statement to News 2:
“In an attempt to sow fear and confusion, Democrats have falsely claimed that contraception is being attacked to distract from President Biden’s disastrous record. No Supreme Court decision threatens a woman’s right to contraception, and I fully support keeping it safe and legal. “I introduce this resolution to expose Democrats’ dishonest narrative for exactly what it is: a blatant lie.”
Senator Blackburn then introduced a proclamation affirming the right to contraception, co-sponsored by several Republican senators.
Despite that, in a video posted on the freedom of married couples to use contraceptives. without government restrictions, “constitutionally unjust.”
“(The rulings) confused Tennesseans and left Congress wondering who gave the court permission to bypass our system of checks and balances.” Blackburn said in the 2022 video.
Read the latest from the TN State Capitol Press Room
Last legislative session introduced a state bill aimed at protecting access to birth control and in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Tennessee. The bill would have clarified that IVF and contraception were not included in the statewide abortion ban. It was written after the Alabama Supreme Court declared that embryos created through IVF should be considered children in February 2024.
“I hope we don’t miss this opportunity while we’re here with this bill to clarify, so we don’t have to come back next January with a bill to clarify while families wait six to nine to 12 months.” Rep. Harold Love, Jr. (D-Nashville), the bill’s sponsor, told lawmakers at the time.
The bill failed after some Republicans argued that the legislation was not necessary; one called his language “more confusing” than clarifying.
“IVF and contraception are legal in the state of Tennessee,” said Rep. Bryan Terry (R-Murfreesboro). “There’s nothing anyone is doing to make this not legal here in Tennessee.”
However, several advocates have previously told News 2 they are concerned that could change.
“We’re very concerned that that won’t always be the case,” said Briana Perry of Healthy and Free Tennessee. “There is currently nothing in the law that prevents what happened in Alabama from happening here in Tennessee.”
⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com
News 2 asked Governor Bill Lee what he thought about Senator Blackburn’s vote to block the Right to Contraception Act and if there would be opposition to that in TN.
“I think we’ve been pretty clear on protection and I understand that contraception is something we would protect,” Governor Lee said.
Tennessee’s other senator, Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), did not vote on the Right to Contraception Act.
Keynote USA
For the Latest Local News, Follow Keynote USA Local on Twitter.