National Republican Senate Committee instructs GOP candidates to support birth control ahead of vote on contraception bill
The National Republican Senatorial Committee released a memo on Tuesday that advises GOP Senate candidates to underscore their support for birth control.
The memo, which comes a day ahead of Wednesday’s vote on whether or not to advance the Right to Contraceptive Act -- legislation that would codify the rights of individuals to access contraception and the right of doctors to provide it -- urges candidates to voice their support for the bill.
"There is not a single Republican Senator or Senate candidate advocating for new restrictions on contraception. Democrats are trying to make this a campaign issue because their policies on the economy, the border, and global stability have completely failed," NRSC Executive Director Jason Thielman wrote in the memo, obtained by ABC News.
"Republicans support access to birth control. Democrats are trying to make this a campaign issue and scare voters because they can’t talk about their failed policies on every other issue. Senator Ernst’s bill lays out commonsense solutions that Republicans should strongly consider embracing on the campaign trail," the memo concludes.
The NRSC memo highlights that the bill, introduced by Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, "ultimately increases access to safe, effective birth control for women."
The document also encourages candidates to call out Democrats for "lying" about their stances on things like IVF and contraception and push the message that "Republicans are putting forward real solutions that protect women and ensure all Americans have the support and resources they need to build a family."
The Senate GOP campaign arm’s clear direction on birth control also comes after former President Donald Trump opened the door last month to restricting access to contraceptives, before later walking back his comments.
Just days earlier, Virginia's Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed two bills that would have established the right to contraception in the state.
Democrats have sounded the alarm over the fact that access to birth control methods is in question across the GOP ideological spectrum -- arguing that with Trump at its helm, the Republican Party is only further siphoning reproductive rights in the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade in June 2002.
News of the memo was first reported by Axios.
