Republicans in Senate Block Hobby Lobby "Fix" Bill

By Nadia Prupis, Common Dreams

17 July 14

enate fails to approve bill to restore contraception access

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday failed to approve a bill that would have restored contraceptive access in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby ruling last month.

The Protect Women's Health from Corporate Interference Act failed to pass with a 56-43 vote, largely along party lines. Republicans blocked the measure as Democrats failed to reach the minimum requirement of 60 approving votes to move it forward in the legislative process.

Introduced last week by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington) and Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colorado), and nicknamed the Not My Bosses' Business Act, the measure stated that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act did not allow employers to refuse to provide specific health care, as required by federal law.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that private businesses could refuse to cover the costs of their employees' birth control if doing so conflicted with their religious beliefs.

Senate Republicans who opposed the measure said it would restrict religious freedom.

"In America, you shouldn’t be forced to choose between giving up your business for your faith or giving up your faith for your business,” Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Missouri) said before the vote. “The government has no right — under the Constitution, under the political heritage of the country, under the things that this country was built to stand for — the government has no right to ask people to make that choice.”

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) argued that women are less likely to obtain certain kinds of health care due to prohibitively high cost.

“When you charge women more for contraception coverage, then you are denying them access to that care," Shaheen said.

ACLU director Laura W. Murphy called the Hobby Lobby decision "an unprecedented move," and said the vote against the bill was political.

“A small number of senators chose politics over women’s health today by refusing to allow debate on this bill to move forward," Murphy said. "It’s encouraging that a majority of the Senate voted to ensure that all women have access to affordable contraception, and we must build on that momentum as we continue to fight for the rights of all working women.”

Debra L. Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, called the vote "an outrageous and stunning loss not just for women, but for the country."

The Senate's failure to pass the bill "was a painful reminder of how far we have to go before women’s health is no longer politicized," Ness said.

Udall tweeted:

If the measure had passed in the Senate, it would almost certainly have failed in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

If the measure had passed in the Senate, it would almost certainly have failed in a Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

The roll call for the vote follows:

Alphabetical by Senator Name