Senate Democrats to unveil package to protect IVF as party makes reproductive rights push this month

Washington – A group of Senate Democrats is expected to unveil a new package to protect access to in vitro fertilization on Monday, as the party campaigns on reproductive rights this month — two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

One Alabama high court ruling earlier this year drew attention to in vitro fertilization as a possible new front in the fight for reproductive rights in the US, when the court ruled that embryos are children under state law and led providers to suspend fertility treatments. While the state legislature took steps to protect access to the procedure, Democrats quickly placed the blame on Republicans as the development raised concerns about similar measures elsewhere.

“In the nearly two years since the Supreme Court rejected Roe v. Wade, our nation has seen the terrible consequences of the Republicans’ anti-science, anti-woman crusade that has put IVF at risk for millions of Americans who rely on it to start or grow their families,” said Senator Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat who is among the group leading the promotion of the package, 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, while working to make treatments more accessible. But some of the measures have already been blocked by Senate Republicans, making it unlikely the package would pass the upper chamber.

Among the measures in the package is the Family Building Access Act, which would create a legal right to access assisted reproduction services, such as in vitro fertilization. Duckworth tried to secure the bill’s passage in February with unanimous consent, but a Republican senator objectedclaiming that this would go too far.

The package also includes a measure aimed at expanding access to fertility treatments for veterans, which was also blocked by a Republican senator earlier this year. And other measures among its contents work to reduce costs for Americans by requiring insurance plans that cover in vitro fertilization.

The legislation comes as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer outlined plans for the House to put reproductive rights “front and center” this month, as with action outlined in a bill to protect access The contraception. Democrats tried to go on the record with Republicans on issues like in vitro fertilization and contraception, along with abortion, after they became a major motivator for voters at the polls in the midterm elections.

“Democrats will never concede until we reverse the immense damage the Supreme Court has inflicted on this country, and the American people have a right to know where their elected representatives stand on protecting reproductive rights and care,” Schumer said on the Senate floor . as he teased the efforts late last month.

Although Senate Republicans have largely expressed support for in vitro fertilization following the Alabama decision, lawmakers appear to be disagreeing about a way forward that satisfied both parties. Two Senate Republicans, Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Katie Britt of Alabama, introduced legislation to protect access to in vitro fertilization last month, calling for bipartisan support. But the bill was quickly rejected 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 for low-income Americans. But the bill does not require an organization or individual to provide IVF services, and it does not prevent states from regulating IVF otherwise, and possibly regulating in ways that go against Democrats’ wishes.

Murray said in a statement that the GOP legislation would not protect IVF, calling it a “public relations tool for Republicans to hide their extremism.” In contrast, the Washington Democrat said the new Democratic package “would actually protect Americans from attempts to restrict IVF” while also expanding access by reducing costs.