IVF rights vote/ in vitro fertilization legislation/ IVF access protections/ Newslooks/ Washington/ Morning Edition/ J. Mansour/ The Senate will vote again on a bill to establish nationwide in vitro fertilization (IVF) protections. Although Republicans previously blocked the legislation, Democrats are using the vote to highlight reproductive health issues ahead of the 2024 election. The push follows state-level legal battles over the rights of frozen embryos, with Democrats contrasting their stance against Republican candidates, including former President Trump.
Senate Revisits IVF Rights: Election Push Quick Looks:
- Senate set to vote again on nationwide IVF protections bill.
- Democrats aim to pressure Republicans on reproductive health in election year.
- Bill introduced by Sen. Tammy Duckworth seeks to protect IVF access and lower costs.
- The vote follows Alabama’s legal battle over the rights of frozen embryos.
- Republicans argue the bill overreaches, preferring state-level solutions.
Senate to Hold Another IVF Vote in 2024 Election Push
Deep Look:
The U.S. Senate is set to vote again on legislation that would guarantee a nationwide right to in vitro fertilization (IVF), part of an ongoing election-year effort by Democrats to draw attention to reproductive health issues. The vote, scheduled for Tuesday, follows an earlier attempt by Democrats in June to pass the same legislation, which was blocked by Senate Republicans.
The bill, introduced by Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, aims to protect access to IVF by establishing a federal right to the procedure. It also includes provisions to lower costs and expand access for families struggling with infertility. Despite the bill’s slim chance of passing this Congress due to Republican opposition, Democrats see it as a strategic move to pressure their political opponents as the 2024 election approaches.
In a speech on the Senate floor Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer emphasized that Republicans are vulnerable on the issue, especially after some state-level laws have questioned the legal status of frozen embryos. “The hard right has set its sights on a new target,” Schumer said, warning that reproductive rights, including IVF, could be at risk after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
The renewed push for IVF protections comes in the wake of a controversial Alabama Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that recognized frozen embryos as legal “children” under state law. This ruling prompted some IVF clinics in Alabama to suspend treatments temporarily, fearing legal repercussions. The state’s Republican-led legislature quickly intervened to pass a law offering legal protections for the clinics.
Although most Republicans have voiced support for IVF, the party’s internal divisions on reproductive health could pose a challenge. Some state laws, like those in Alabama, have expanded personhood protections not just to fetuses but also to embryos destroyed in the IVF process, raising concerns among patients and medical professionals.
Democrats, seeking to highlight these inconsistencies, hope to draw attention to the issue and contrast their stance with that of former President Donald Trump. Trump has positioned himself as a “leader on IVF” and recently announced a plan to require health insurance companies or the federal government to cover the cost of the procedure. However, details of his proposal remain vague.
In the recent vice presidential debate between Trump and Kamala Harris, Trump criticized a decision by the Alabama Supreme Court regarding IVF, calling it “very negative” and commending the state legislature for reversing the ruling. Despite his public stance, Democrats argue that Republican policies could endanger reproductive freedoms.
Duckworth, a military veteran who used IVF to have her two children, has been leading the Senate effort to pass the legislation. Following the first failed vote, Duckworth passionately addressed her GOP colleagues, accusing them of neglecting families in need of fertility treatments. “How dare you,” she said, expressing frustration over Republican opposition to the bill.
Republicans, for their part, argue that the federal government should not interfere with state decisions on reproductive health. Several GOP lawmakers have proposed alternative legislation to discourage states from banning IVF explicitly. In June, Republican Senators Katie Britt of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas introduced a bill that would withhold Medicaid funding from states that ban the treatment.
Senator Rick Scott of Florida, whose daughter is undergoing IVF, has also put forward proposals to expand the use of health savings accounts to help cover fertility treatment costs. In a speech earlier this year, Cruz accused Democrats of playing politics with reproductive health, calling their push to pass federal IVF protections a “cynical political decision.”
Despite these Republican proposals, Democrats have rejected them as insufficient, insisting that only federal protections can safeguard access to IVF nationwide. As the 2024 election draws closer, both parties are likely to continue using the issue to rally their respective bases and sharpen contrasts between their platforms.
