Washington, D.C. —Today, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) voted to pass the Right to Contraception Act, which establishes a statutory right to obtain contraceptives and for health care providers to provide contraceptives and information related to contraception. 99 percent of women who have been sexually active report having used some form of contraception, and 96 percent of voters support access to contraception. Congresswoman Ross spoke on the House floor about the urgent need to pass this legislation.

“North Carolinians and people across the country overwhelmingly support the right to use contraception,” said Congresswoman Ross. “Justice Clarence Thomas’ concurring opinion in Dobbs laid the groundwork for even greater government interference into our personal and family decisions. We must codify Griswold v. Connecticut, which has protected women’s right to make decisions about their own contraceptive health care for decades. I fought to expand access to contraception in North Carolina with support from legislators on both sides of the aisle and will not sit idly by as Republicans across the country attack our fundamental freedoms. I urge the Senate to pass this critical legislation.”

The Right to Contraception Act ensures that neither states nor a hostile Republican administration can limit people’s access to contraceptives or the ability of health care providers to provide contraceptives and information related to them. The legislation:

• protects against any state laws that attempt to restrict access to contraceptives and affirms the Attorney General’s enforcement authority to bring civil actions against any state that attempts to do so, and
• establishes a private right of action for individuals to enforce their right to obtain contraceptives and for health care providers to enforce their right to provide contraceptives and information related to contraception.

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