Two bills, both intended to protect access to IVF, were blocked in the US Senate this week, as Democrats and Republicans accuse each other of voting for political reasons ahead of the presidential election in November.
The IVF Protection Act and the Right to IVF Act were proposed after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling earlier this year brought IVF treatment in the state to a standstill (see BioNews 1228). The Republican-backed IVF Protection Act, (see BioNews 1240), which sought to ensure no state prohibits access to IVF services, was blocked by Democrats on 12 June.
In a statement signed by fellow Republicans, Senator Katie Britt of Alabama, who co-sponsored the bill, accused democrats of: 'a partisan campaign of false fearmongering intended to mislead and confuse the American people'. 'We strongly support continued nationwide access to IVF, which has allowed millions of aspiring parents to state and grown their families,' she said.
However, Democrat Senator Patty Murray of Washington argued that the bill did not go far enough to protect fertility patients: 'Even though it is an inherent part of the IVF process that families will make more embryos than they need, this bill does absolutely nothing – not a single thing – to ensure families who use IVF can have their clinics dispose of unused embryos without facing legal threats for a standard medical procedure,' she said. 'Instead, this bill completely ignores the matter of what happens to frozen embryos, in order to appease Republicans' extreme anti-abortion allies.'
Murray co-sponsored the Democrats' alternative bill, the Right to IVF Act, which was blocked by Republicans on 13 June.
Following the vote, President Biden said: 'Once again, Senate Republicans refused to protect access to fertility treatments for women who are desperately trying to get pregnant.'
IVF has become an increasingly politicised issue in the run up to the US presidential election later this year.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (a Democrat) told CNN that the Republicans were being influenced by far-right factions: 'We know what they're up to. They want to get rid of IVF, they're afraid to say it.' He added: 'These are the very same people who pushed to get rid of Roe in the Dobbs decision', referencing the 2022 US Supreme Court decision overturning the right to abortion.
Schumer's comments highlight growing concerns about the availability of fertility treatment in the USA, as some influential groups oppose reproductive technologies on religious grounds. In the same week the bills were blocked in the senate, the Southern Baptist Church renewed its criticism of the destruction of embryos in IVF treatment and approved a resolution to '…reaffirm the unconditional value and right to life of every human being, including those in an embryonic stage'.
Sources and References
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Senate Republicans block bill on women’s right to IVF as Democrats make push on reproductive care
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Senate sinks competing IVF bills: How did they differ?
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Senate GOP blocks bill to guarantee access to IVF nationwide
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IVF Statement
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On the ethical realities of reproductive technologies and the dignity of the human embryo
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Endocrine Society urges passage of the Right to IVF Act
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