Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on Wednesday that the upper chamber will take up a bill in June to protect contraceptive access, shortly after presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump said he was "looking at" new restrictions.
"Now more than ever, contraception is a critical piece of protecting women's reproductive freedoms," Schumer said on the floor, according to Politico.
The legislation, led by Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, would need at least nine Republican votes to advance and there’s reportedly no indication that any member of the Senate GOP would support it. The measure would codify contraception as a "fundamental right" and a vote on it could be used as a cudgel by Democrats seeking to inflict maximum political damage on Republicans in an election year.
In an interview with a local TV station in Pittsburgh, Trump said he was "looking at" new restrictions on contraception. While the interview was aired on Tuesday, it’s unclear when it was taped.
"We’re looking at that, and I’m going to have a policy on that very shortly and I think it’s something that you’ll find interesting," Trump told KDKA political analyst Jon Delano when asked if he supported any restrictions.
"You will find it very smart," Trump added during the interview. "I think it’s a smart decision."
In a Truth Social post later on Tuesday afternoon, Trump said he will never call for restrictions on contraceptives.
"This is a Democrat fabricated lie, MISINFORMATION/DISINFORMATION, because they have nothing else to run on except FAILURE, POVERTY, AND DEATH," Trump wrote in the post. "I DO NOT SUPPORT A BAN ON BIRTH CONTROL, AND NEITHER WILL THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!"
With the question of abortion returned to the states to decide, reproductive issues have become top of mind for many voters in the run-up to the 2024 election. The Supreme Court is also expected to issue a ruling in June in a case that would restrict the abortion pill mifepristone.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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