Washington— The Democratic Senate group is set to unveil a new package to protect access to IVF on Friday, as the party makes a push around reproductive rights this month – two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
An Alabama high court decision earlier this year brought attention to IVF as a possible new front in the fight over reproductive rights in the US when the court considered that the child’s embryo is in the law of the country and asked the provider to stop fertility treatment. Although state legislatures moved to protect access to the procedure, Democrats quickly blamed Republicans for the development raising concerns about similar moves elsewhere.
“In the nearly two years since the Supreme Court threw out Roe v. Wade, our nation has seen the horrific consequences of Republicans’ anti-science, anti-women crusades that have put IVF at risk for millions of Americans who depend on it to start or grow a family. , “sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat who is among the groups leading the push on the package, said in a statement to CBS News.
The package, called the Right to IVF Act, is made up of four bills sponsored by Duckworth, Senator Patty Murray of Washington and Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey that focus on the right to receive and provide IVF services, when used to create. treatment is more affordable. But some of those measures were previously blocked by Senate Republicans, so it’s unlikely the package will pass the upper chamber.
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Among the measures in the package is the Access to Family Building Act, which would create a statutory right to access to assisted reproductive services like IVF. Duckworth tried to secure passage of the bill in February in unanimous consent, but one Republican senator argueclaiming that it would be too far.
The package also includes measures to expand access to fertility treatment for veterans, which Republican senators also blocked earlier this year. And another step among them is to reduce costs for Americans by requiring insurance plans to cover IVF.
The legislation comes as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has outlined the chamber’s plan to put reproductive rights “front and center” this month, as is planned action in a bill to protect access to contraception. Democrats have been trying to rally Republicans on issues like IVF and contraception along with abortion after becoming a major motivator for voters in the polls in the midterm elections.
“Democrats will not back down until we reverse the great damage the Supreme Court has done to this country, and the American people have a right to know where their elected officials stand in protecting reproductive rights and care,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. as teasing efforts last month.
Although Senate Republicans have largely voiced their support for IVF after the Alabama decision, lawmakers are on the fence on the road ahead which will satisfy both parties. Two Senate Republicans, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Katie Britt of Alabama, introduced legislation to protect access to IVF last month, garnering bipartisan support. But the bill was quickly met by Democrats, who questioned its scope and mechanism.
Known as the IVF Protection Act, the GOP bill would require states to “not prohibit in vitro fertilization” as a condition for states to receive federal funding for Medicaid, which provides health insurance to low-income Americans. But the bill does not force organizations or individuals to provide IVF services, and does not preclude the state from otherwise managing IVF, and can manage in a way that is at odds with Democratic wishes.
Murray said in a statement that the GOP legislation would not protect IVF, calling it a “PR tool for Republicans to hide extremism.” In contrast, Washington Democrats said the new Democratic package “will protect Americans from efforts to limit IVF,” while expanding access by lowering costs.
