Sen. Boxer sees coming ‘battle on the floor of the Senate’ over contraceptives

“We are going to see legislation, I can assure you, to overturn this [rule], and it’s going to be a battle on the floor the Senate, I am afraid,” said Boxer.

“I am not afraid of the fight, I welcome it,” she clarified.

The Department of Health and Human Services, under the control of the Obama administration, handed down the decision on Friday sending shockwaves through religious circles that oppose the use of contraceptives. The rule exempts actually places of worship from providing such health care plans but does not make an exception for organizations like hospitals that are often affiliated with religious institutions. 

Boxer’s prediction of legislation to overturn the rule will likely come true. Early in the day Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other, more junior GOP senators, blasted the regulation as a flagrant violation of constitutional rights and said they were preparing to take legislative action to prevent the administration from implementation.

Boxer on Tuesday, however, dismissed the Republicans’ arguments saying it was yet another incident in a long of history of the “right wing” attempting to suppress women’s’ rights. 

“My Republican friends are attempting to turn back the clock on birth control,” said Boxer.