Washington- The Senate is expected to vote Thursday afternoon on a legislative package to protect access to IVF, as Democrats push reproductive rights this month — two years after the Supreme Court. overturned Roe v. Wade – despite almost certain opposition from Republicans.
The issue attracted national attention after the Alabama Supreme Court Earlier this year, it was ruled that embryos are considered children under state law, prompting providers to halt fertility treatments. THE legislature subsequently approved legislation to protect IVF in the state.
Across the country, Democrats placed blame on Republicans as the development raised concerns about similar measures elsewhere, warning of a new front in the fight for reproductive rights.
“The anti-abortion movement is not over yet. Now that Roe is gone, they are turning their attention to a new goal: in vitro fertilization,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday morning before the vote. “So the question before the Senate today is very simple: Do we agree that Americans should be free to use IVF if they choose?”
On Thursday afternoon, the upper house must hold a procedural vote on the wrap, called the Right to IVF Act, consisting of four bills, some of which have already been blocked by Senate Republicans. The package, which has virtually no chance of approval, is sponsored by Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Patty Murray of Washington and Cory Booker of New Jersey, and focuses on the right to receive and provide IVF services, while working to make treatments more affordable.
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One measure would create a statutory right of access to assisted reproductive services such as IVF. Duckworth tried to get the bill passed in February with unanimous consent, but a Republican senator opposed it, saying it would go too far. The package also includes a measure to expand access to fertility treatments for veterans, which was also blocked by a Republican senator earlier this year. Other provisions aim to reduce costs for Americans by requiring insurance plans to cover IVF.
Another initiative related to reproductive rights failed in the Senate last week, when Democrats tried to advance legislation protecting them. access to contraception, with most Republicans opposing the measure. The two votes are part of an effort by Democrats to emphasize reproductive rights this month, ahead of the November elections, which Republicans have criticized. But Schumer argues that votes aren’t just voting messages.
“Protecting IVF, like protecting contraception, is not a sham vote,” Schumer said at a news conference Wednesday. “It’s to show us who you’re voting for.”
However, Senate Democrats want Republicans to be on the record on issues related to reproductive rights, which have been a driving force in the election.
“Every Republican must answer clearly: Do you want our laws to protect IVF or do you want laws that say frozen embryos have the same rights as living, breathing human beings? » Murray said during a press conference on Wednesday. “You can’t have both.”
When it comes to IVF, although Senate Republicans have expressed support for fertility treatments following the Alabama ruling, they appear to disagree on what path forward would satisfy both parties.
Last month, two Senate Republicans, Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Katie Britt of Alabama introduced legislation to protect access to IVF, calling for bipartisan support. But Democrats quickly pushed back on the legislation, questioning its scope and mechanism.
The GOP bill, called the IVF Protection Act, would require states “not to prohibit in vitro fertilization” as a condition of states receiving federal funding for Medicaid, which provides health insurance to low-income Americans. The bill does not require any organization or individual to provide IVF services, and it does not prevent states from otherwise regulating IVF — something Democrats generally oppose.
Wednesday, Cruz and Britt tried to approve the bill with unanimous consent, in order to anticipate the Democratic-led vote on Thursday. But Murray blocked the move, calling it a “PR tool” and argued it was “ridiculous to claim this bill protects IVF when it does no such thing.”
Murray and other Democrats have highlighted concerns about granting human rights to embryos because they are often discarded during fertility treatments. They warned that the Republican legislation does not address the manipulation of frozen embryos, which could threaten access to fertility treatments, while saying it is an intentional move to appeal to the anti-embryo movement. abortion.
All 49 Senate Republicans signed a statement released later Wednesday reiterating their support for fertility treatments, saying they “strongly support continued access to IVF nationwide.”
Although the Democrats’ IVF program is unlikely to move forward, at least one Republican, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said she plans to vote in favor of the IVF package. She told reporters she didn’t want “the message to be that Republicans are against IVF,” but she also noted the move was “clearly not a serious attempt to legislate.”
And the senator. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, said she was still studying elements of the package. The two Republicans were the only members of their party to vote in favor of advancing contraception legislation last week.
Alan He contributed reporting.