Republican Senator Blocks Bill To Protect IVF Nationwide
A bill introduced by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, was blocked Wednesday by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican from Mississippi. The legislation would have provided federal protections for in vitro fertilization treatments. The Biden campaign linked the move to former President Donald Trump, arguing that he would have urged Republicans to pass it if he truly supported IVF access.
AP:
Republicans Block Senate Bill To Protect Nationwide Access To IVF Treatments
Senate Republicans have blocked legislation that would protect access to in vitro fertilization, objecting to a vote on the issue Wednesday even after widespread backlash to a recent ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that threatens the practice. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Mississippi Republican, objected to a request for a vote by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who used IVF treatments to have her two children after struggling with years of infertility. Duckworth’s bill would establish a federal right to the treatments as the Alabama ruling has upended fertility care in the state and families who had already started the process face heartbreak and uncertainty. (Jalonick and Groves, 2/28)
Axios:
Biden Campaign Torches Trump After GOP Blocks IVF Bill
The Biden campaign is seizing on Senate Republicans' decision to block a bill enshrining federal protections for in-vitro fertilization (IVF), arguing that former President Trump would have intervened if he truly supported IVF. (Basu, 2/29)
Axios:
How Fertility Coverage Mandates Could Clash With IVF Restrictions
Proposed "personhood" laws getting a closer look after Alabama's IVF ruling could vastly complicate reproductive care in some states that require insurance coverage of fertility treatments and drugs, by setting up potentially clashing mandates on what to do with frozen embryos. (Reed, 2/29)
Politico:
How The IVF Fight Splits Republicans And Anti-Abortion Activists
The Alabama Supreme Court ruling effectively cutting off access to in-vitro fertilization in the state created a firestorm for Republicans. Many of their friends in the anti-abortion movement were celebrating. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade marked a decades-long triumph for the right. But it’s also exposed tensions in the alliance between Republican politicians, who face voter backlash, and anti-abortion activists who seek even further restrictions. (Messerly, 2/29)
The New York Times:
First, a Cancer Diagnosis. Then a Split-Second Decision About Fertility
Two weeks before her 23rd birthday, Roshni Kamta was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. That was the first shock. The second came a few days later, when she found out that the chemotherapy that would save her life might prevent her from having children. Her oncologist told her that freezing her eggs would give her the best chance at a future pregnancy. But she would need to do it immediately, before starting her cancer treatment. (Burns, 2/28)
