Majority Of House Republicans Backed Budget Proposal Threatening IVF
HuffPost notes it's a "stunning turnaround" after weeks of vocally supporting IVF access in the wake of the controversial Alabama law. Meanwhile, Catholics are reportedly still often choosing IVF despite church opposition.
HuffPost:
House Republicans Back Bill Threatening IVF
A large majority of House Republicans released a budget proposal on Wednesday endorsing legislation that would threaten to make in vitro fertilization illegal nationwide. The move is a stunning turnabout after most of the party spent weeks voicing support for IVF following a controversial Alabama Supreme Court ruling that led providers in the state to halt the procedure. (Vagianos, 3/21)
NPR:
Catholics Still Choose IVF To Have Children Despite Church Prohibitions
Religious objections to in vitro fertilization came into sharp focus after the Alabama Supreme Court afforded frozen embryos the same legal protections as children. While many religious groups in the U.S. have no specific prohibition to the procedure, the Catholic Church clearly opposes it. But many Catholic couples turn to IVF despite their church's teaching. (DeRose, 3/22)
In abortion updates —
The Hill:
White House Calls Out House’s Conservative Caucus Budget For ‘Extreme’ Abortion Proposals
The White House on Friday called out the Republican Study Committee’s (RSC) budget proposal for backing legislation that would put strict restrictions on abortion access. The group, which comprises nearly 80 percent of all House Republicans, proposed a budget that endorses the Life at Conception Act, which would implement protections for unborn humans. Democrats argue that the legislation would threaten access to in vitro fertilization (IVF). (Gangitano, 3/22)
The Boston Globe:
Warren Slams Abortion Pill Access Case As About ‘Partisan Politics’
Days before the US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that could restrict access to mifepristone, a commonly used abortion pill, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren characterized the case as political and criticized justices appointed by former president Donald Trump as having gone “too far” in their rollback of access to reproductive care. (Vega, 3/21)
Kansas City Star:
Kansas Lawmakers Consider Banning Abortion Coercion
When Rebecca Schmoe found out she was pregnant, she was in disbelief. For years, doctors had told her she would be unable to conceive and she had previously suffered a miscarriage. But when Schmoe, who is now a Kansas state representative, went to see her doctor to check on her unborn child, she was met with what she described as an hour-long onslaught of gruesome, bloody details about her certain death should she choose to carry the child to term. (Bernard and Barackman, 3/22)
The 19th:
Two Abortion Stories, Two Decades Apart, Fuel A Special Election In Alabama
Alyssa Gonzales says it “stings” when she recounts what happened in 2022: when she found out her second pregnancy had a rare genetic disorder that is almost always incompatible with life and could pose serious risks to her health. When she couldn’t get an abortion in Alabama, despite an exemption for fatal fetal diagnoses in the state’s near-total ban. When, with financial support from an abortion fund, she traveled over 10 hours by car with her now-husband and his parents to receive care in Washington, D.C. (Panetta, 3/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Most AAPI Adults In U.S. Support Legal Abortion, Poll Finds
A new poll shows that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the United States are highly supportive of legal abortion, even in situations where the pregnant person wants an abortion for any reason. (Lee Brewer and Thomson-Deveaux, 3/21)
On adoption —
Houston Chronicle:
Texas Adoption Campaign Targeting Girls Is 'Manipulative', Experts Say
Since Texas banned virtually all abortions, Texans may have seen a rosy message about adoption pop up on their phone screens or dot the view on their daily commute. Many experts are concerned about the potential for young people to make a life-altering decision based on an idealized image. (Gill, 3/21)
