Senate Republicans block legislation to protect IVF

Senate Republicans have blocked a bill to protect in vitro fertilization (IVF).

The Right to IVF Act, championed by a group of Democrats, will not be voted on by the US Senate as nearly every GOP member voted to block ending debate on the legislation.

“It’s a very sad day for millions of Americans who want to become parents but struggle with infertility,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said after the vote. “Today, nearly every Republican just blocked a bill that would’ve protected peoples’ access to IVF.”

“Now that the hard right has finished eliminating Roe, they’re setting their sights on IVF.”

Senator Tammy Duckworth led the push, comparing Republicans who oppose IVF to arsonists.

“Like arsonists opening a fire insurance business after they’ve set fires and that insurance doesn’t actually cover fire damage, a couple of Republicans even proposed a messaging bill with a goal of misleading Americans into thinking that the GOP wants to protect IVF,” she continued.

Senate Republicans introduced a similar bill last week that would have withheld federal Medicaid funding to states that ban IVF. But Democrats shot it down, citing the bill’s failure to address efforts throughout the country to criminalize disposing of nonviable embryos during the process.

More to come...