FACT CHECK: Did Marsha Blackburn Propose A Plan That Would Prohibit Birth Control For Unmarried People?

A Facebook post claims Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn “proposed a plan wherein birth control should only be legal for married couples.”

Verdict: False

There is no record of Blackburn proposing such a policy.

Fact Check:

A leaked Supreme Court draft opinion suggests the court will soon rule to overturn the landmark abortion case Roe V. Wade, CNN reported. Some have suggested the reversal could eventually lead to certain forms of birth control being outlawed, according to NBC News.

A May 8 post shared on Facebook claims a rollback on birth control has already begun. “Marsha Blackburn, our US Senator, has proposed a plan wherein birth control should only be legal for married couples,” reads the post. The same claim has been shared widely on Twitter. (RELATED: Did Marsha Blackburn Make A Racist Gesture During Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court Confirmation Vote?)

The claim is incorrect. None of Blackburn’s press releases or social media posts mention a proposal to only allow only married couples to use contraceptives. There are likewise no credible news reports suggesting the Tennessee senator had made such a recommendation.

The claim appears to stem from comments the senator made about the Supreme Court’s 1965 Griswold vs. Connecticut decision that established the right for people to use birth control based on “marital privacy” considerations. Blackburn referred to the decision as “constitutionally unsound” in comments criticizing the nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court in March, according to the Tennessean.

Check Your Fact has reached out to Blackburn’s office and will update this piece accordingly if a response is received.

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