The measure is almost certain to fail in the evenly divided Senate, where most Republicans are also likely to oppose it. The vote was the latest election-year move by Democrats to make a sharp distinction with Republicans on a social issue that has broad support. The measure passed 228 to 195, with eight Republicans joining Democrats in support. It would protect the right to buy and use contraception without government restrictions. The legislation drew only slightly more Republican support than two bills the House passed last week that aimed to secure abortion access in the post-Roe era. almost all Republicans were united in opposition. It was a far different result than a few days earlier, when Democrats forced a vote on legislation to enact federal protections for same-sex marriage rights and garnered the support of 47 Republicans — far more than expected. The flurry of legislative action is a direct response by the Democratic-led Congress to the Supreme Court’s decision last month in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the nearly 50-year-old right to abortion. The decision raised concern that other long-standing rights could be jeopardized at the hands of the conservative court. In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas made clear that other precedents, including those protecting same-sex marriage and the right to contraception, “should be reconsidered.” The constitutional right to contraception has been protected for more than five decades since the Supreme Court’s 1965 decision in Griswold v. Connecticut. Democrats sought Thursday to paint Republicans as a party of extremists seeking to roll back entrenched rights and out of step with the views of most voters. “An extreme Republican, an extreme Supreme Court, they want to take away your freedom and control over your lives,” said Representative Angie Craig, D-Minnesota. “We are in an absurd time.” He said before the vote that “frankly, I’m disappointed that we have to vote on this damn bill at all. This is not an extremist issue. This is an extremist GOP” Republicans, in turn, claimed that Democrats intended to find new ways to increase access to abortion. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Washington, said she supports access to contraception but strongly opposes the bill, which she described as a “Trojan Horse for more abortions.” Ms. McMorris Rodgers said part of her concern was that the bill would send more taxpayer money to Planned Parenthood, which provides abortion services in addition to contraception. “Instead of working with us, Democrats are again spreading fear and misinformation to score political points,” he said. Democrats saw the vote as a way to show voters that they were doing everything they could to protect rights that are widely popular in the United States — and that Republicans were standing in the way. It came as progressives harshly criticized Democrats after Roe’s death for failing to do more to protect abortion rights and for being slow to respond when the Supreme Court overruled them in a widely expected ruling. While the marriage equality bill garnered far more support among Republicans than expected, less than a quarter of GOP representatives supported it. Still, the margin was enough to push the measure from a texting bill that was destined to die in the Senate to a legislative vehicle with a chance — albeit slim — of passage. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said he was surprised by the amount of Republican support for this bill. He added that he would work to bring it to the floor and gather support from 10 Senate Republicans to ensure it could overcome a filibuster.
