Senate Republicans rejected a bill that would have created a federal right to in vitro fertilization, a piece of legislation that Democrats forced to the floor Thursday as part of an election-year effort to contrast their approach to reproductive rights with that of the party. across the aisle.
The bill, the Right to IVF Act, would nullify all state efforts to restrict the right to IVF and make the treatment more affordable and accessible, including for U.S. military personnel and veterans.
The legislation was introduced by Senators Patty Murray of Washington State, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, and it was expected that the bill would not pass as most legislation requires at least 60 votes to pass in the Senate.
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Instead, Democrats hoped to make it clear to Republicans that they oppose an infertility treatment that is widely popular among Americans. They implemented a similar strategy last week, when Democrats voted on a bill that would guarantee a nationwide right to contraception — which, like IVF, is very popular. That bill, the Right to Contraception Act, also failed.
“Last week, every senator was briefed on whether he will defend the right to contraception. And despite Republicans’ words about supporting contraception, their actions – voting against the Birth Control Right Act – spoke louder,” Murray said in a speech from the Senate on Thursday. “Today we’re putting Republicans on the map on another issue that families across the country are deeply concerned about: the right to IVF.”
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana denounced the bill, which he said was motivated by “political purposes.”
“This is not serious legislation,” Cassidy said. “It was not done through the committee process. It is a political process.”
Because IVF typically involves creating embryos that may not implant in a woman’s uterus or go unused after genetic testing, some anti-abortion activists have long opposed IVF. However, America’s abortion wars have rarely focused on IVF.
Then in February, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos created through IVF are legally “ectopic children” – a decision that endorsed the principles of so-called fetal personhood promoted by an American movement that seeks to protect embryos and fetuses. provided with full legal rights and protections. The ruling prompted many IVF providers in Alabama to temporarily halt operations, causing chaos and sparking a backlash across the country.
Related: Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling on the abortion pill, the fight is far from over
Yet anti-abortion activists have continued to gain ground in their fight against IVF. On Wednesday, the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Protestant group in the US, voted at its annual meeting to condemn IVF. With nearly 13 million members and enormous political influence, the Southern Baptist Convention’s rejection of IVF marked a turning point in the debate over IVF. Although evangelical Protestants have largely supported IVF, the vote suggests that the anti-abortion movement is successfully arguing that opposition to abortion necessitates opposition to IVF.
“This is not the end of our fight for family building for all. We will continue until everyone in this country has access to the family-building options they need and the availability of IVF is guaranteed in all 50 states,” Barbara Collura, president and CEO of Resolve: The National Infertility Association, said in a statement Thursday. . after the failed vote in the Senate. “The introduction of this bill has already been a major victory for advocates of greater access to fertility treatments. Our work has led to this comprehensive legislation, and we are not giving up.”
