Senator Blackburn contended that the Right to Contraception Act was superfluous since contraception is already legal and there is no imminent threat to its accessibility.
The Democrats have been accused of spreading false information in an effort to create fear and confusion. They have been claiming that contraception is under attack, which is not true. It is important to note that no Supreme Court decision has been made that threatens a woman’s right to contraception. I completely support the idea of keeping contraception safe and legal. In order to shed light on the Democrats’ dishonest narrative, I am introducing a resolution that exposes their claims as a blatant lie.
Several Republican Senators have co-sponsored a proclamation introduced by Sen. Blackburn that affirms the right to contraception.
In March 2022, Blackburn posted a video on X in which she criticized Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was then a nominee for Supreme Court Justice. In the video, Blackburn referred to several Supreme Court rulings, including Griswold v. Connecticut, which established that married couples have the constitutional right to use contraceptives without government interference, as “Constitutionally unsound.”
In a video from 2022, Blackburn expressed her confusion and concern over the court’s rulings, stating, “The rulings confused Tennesseans and left Congress wondering who gave the court permission to bypass our system of checks and balances?”
During the previous legislative session, a bill was introduced in Tennessee that sought to safeguard access to birth control and in vitro fertilization (IVF). The proposed legislation aimed to clearly state that IVF and contraception were not subject to the statewide ban on abortion. The bill was drafted in response to a February 2024 ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court, which deemed embryos produced through IVF as children.
During the deliberation of the bill, Rep. Harold Love, Jr. (D-Nashville), the bill’s sponsor expressed his hope that they would not let this opportunity pass without clarifying the matter. He emphasized the urgency of the matter by stating that if they fail to clarify the bill, families would have to wait for six to nine to twelve months, which can be avoided if they take action now.
Some Republicans opposed the bill, stating that it was unnecessary and confusing. As a result, the legislation did not pass.
According to Rep. Bryan Terry (R-Murfreesboro), IVF and contraception are both legal in Tennessee, and there are no efforts to change that. “There’s no reason why these procedures shouldn’t be available in our state,” he stated.
During an interview with News 2, Governor Bill Lee shared his perspective on Senator Blackburn’s recent vote to block the Right to Contraception Act. When asked if there would be any opposition to this decision in Tennessee, Governor Lee did not provide a direct answer.
Governor Lee expressed his stance on contraception by stating, “I think we’ve been pretty clear in protecting, and I understand contraception is something we would protect.”
Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) abstained from voting on the Right to Contraception Act in Tennessee.