Hinds Today

U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), chair of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, criticized legislation proposed by Senate Democrats regarding contraception. She described the bill as a deceptive measure that would infringe on religious freedoms and parental rights.

Hyde-Smith opposed efforts by Democrats to force a vote on the Right to Contraception Act (S.4381), labeling it a politically motivated attempt to revive legislation initially passed by the Democrat-controlled House in 2022.

“It’s ‘show-vote’ season in the Senate. This is another example of Democrats bringing forward deeply deceptive legislation to make political points and try to offer cover to vulnerable Democrats. The devil is in the details. This bill isn’t about access to contraception. It’s about pouring more taxpayer dollars to abortion purveyors like Planned Parenthood, while further trampling religious freedoms and parental rights. It would codify the Biden administration’s punitive policies to shut out faith-based providers and organizations that don’t adhere to a pro-abortion agenda,” said Hyde-Smith, who previously blocked other related legislation regarding in vitro fertilization.

Hyde-Smith is among 21 Republican Senators led by U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) who signed a joint statement accusing Democrats of misleading the public on contraception accessibility. The statement reads:

“There is no threat to access to contraception, which is legal in every state and required by law to be offered at no cost by health insurers, and it’s disgusting that Democrats are fearmongering on this important issue to score cheap political points. This bill infringes on the parental rights and religious liberties of some Americans and lets the federal government force religious institutions and schools, even public elementary schools, to offer contraception like condoms to little kids. It’s just another way for Democrats to use activist attorneys and our courts to advance their radical agenda and that is why we oppose this bill.”