NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A 20-foot, inflatable IUD turned heads at the State Capitol on Friday, but the goal was to make a statement about women’s reproductive rights and access to birth control.
It comes after the U.S. Senate voted down a proposal in early June that would have guaranteed access to birth control nationwide , and the Republican supermajority in the Tennessee General Assembly killed two bills that would have protected contraception access in the state.
Republicans have argued legislation to protect birth control access is unnecessary because there currently are no proposals that threaten access.
After the U.S. Senate voted down the Right to Contraception Act, which would have protected access to birth control nationwide, earlier this month, News 2 asked Gov. Bill Lee if birth control access was at risk in the state.
“I think we’ve been pretty clear about protecting, and I understand contraception is something we would protect,” Lee said.
However, Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) and Sen. Charlane Oliver (D-Nashville) expressed concerns that contraception access is at risk in Tennessee and across the country.