Republicans Want To Ban Gay Marriage and Birth Control
The six radical Republicans on the Supreme Court have put your freedom in their crosshairs. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the GOP controlled Supreme Court might take out marriage equality and the right to birth control. In his concurring opinion in the Dobbs abortion case, Justice Thomas wrote that the Court “should reconsider” previous decisions related to same-sex relationships, and “correct the error” laid out in such precedents.
The D.C. Republicans like to point out that the majority opinion in Dobbs reassured us that the case was only about abortion. Nonetheless, Justice Samuel Alito, in contrast, in his majority opinion wrote that any rights have to be “deeply rooted in our nation’s history.” This important phrase directly attacked the right to privacy — which is the keystone to the right of marriage equality and right to obtain birth control.
Alito and his fellow Republicans on the Supreme Court told us that marriage equality and birth control are safe but these same justices testified under oath that Roe was safe. Everyone of them committed perjury to get confirmed. Why should we believe them now? The Republicans on the Supreme Court are outside of the mainstream and drunk with power.
The House Democrats have since moved swiftly to codify our rights under the Constitution for a safe and legal abortion, marriage equality and birth control. On all three issues, a majority of the House voted to codify these rights. However, most Republicans voted against all of these bills. (I discussed Flood’s vote against abortion rights in a previous post on his radical start as a member of the House. Bacon and Smith also voted no with Flood.)
After the vote to codify Roe, Nancy Pelosi held an up or down vote on the right to marriage equality. Only 22% of House Republicans voted to federally recognize same sex marriages. Mike Flood and Adrian Smith voted no. Don Bacon voted yes but it was a rare reasonable vote from the Nebraska CD02 incumbent. (Bacon likes to falsely claim he is a bi-partisan moderate due to these occasional sane votes.)
Mike Flood (and other House Republicans) rationalized their extreme no votes by falsely claiming that “nobody’s marriage is under threat.” Flood went so far as to claim that the House Democrats were undermining the legitimacy of the Supreme Court. What Flood fails to realize is that the Supreme Court has already forfeited any claim of legitimacy due to the partisanship and extremism of the six Republican justices.
Flood’s reassurances on marriage equality ring hollow in the face of statements from his fellow D.C. Republicans. In the wake of the Dobbs decision that challenged the right to privacy, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) called the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage “clearly wrong,” explaining that the Court was “overreaching” when it decided the landmark Obergefell case in 2015.
Flood and the overwhelming majority of House Republicans continued their descent into sheer radicalism by voting against legislation that would “protect a person’s ability to access contraceptives and to engage in contraception, and protect a health care provider’s ability to provide contraceptives, contraception, and information related to contraception.” Birth control methods protected under the bill include oral and emergency medications, IUDs and even condoms!
This bill was opposed by all three members of the Nebraska U.S. House delegation. Apparently, Flood, Bacon and Smith all believe that the federal government should not protect our fundamental constitutional right to even plan our families. Simply stated, Nebraska’s three U.S. House members would allow state governments to ban birth control.
“Like a broken record, Don Bacon, Mike Flood and Adrian Smith are taking their marching orders from far right extremist Republican Party bosses, whose cruel agenda seems to know no bounds. This is about controlling women — obliterating rights. Once again, they have let the people of Nebraska down. It is shameful, despicable and horrifying.” Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb, in response to the House vote on the right to birth control.
“The House is doing a super important service to the nation — exposing how extreme the Republican Party has become. Republicans don’t just want to ban abortion. They want to ban birth control.” Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT).
“MAGA Republicans want politicians involved in every element of your personal life other than whether or not you can buy an assault weapon.” Dan Pfeiffer, former senior adviser to President Barack Obama.
The GOP believes in big government for most Americans — they want to tell you who to marry, tell your doctor what to do, boss around women and ban contraception. In reality, the GOP believes they can tell us what to do but we can’t tell Republicans what to do. The GOP does believe in less government for the wealthy, corporations and the owners of military weapons. Bizarre.
Freedom is on the ballot in 2022. Vote for Patty Pansing Brooks in Nebraska CD01! Vote for Tony Vargas in Nebraska CD02! Vote for David Elise Nebraska CD03!