Democrats' bill to protect IVF fails again: Why Republicans blocked it
Senate Republicans on Tuesday blocked a bill protecting access to in-vitro fertilization as the fight over reproductive rights and having children heats up in the 2024 election.
IVF, a treatment for infertility, has increasingly become a political issue after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling in Februrary gave embryos fertilized through IVF the same legal rights as children, causing many providers to temporarily halt treatment in the state.
The Right to IVF Act, sponsored by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-IL, aimed to protect and expand national access to fertility treatment. The bill already failed once in June, months after Duckworth brought a similar bill to the floor seeking unanimous consent in February, only to have it blocked by a Republican.
“By blocking my Right to IVF Act for the second time in just a few months, Republicans proved that when the rubber meets the road they will do anything to get out of actually passing legislation that would protect women’s right to access reproductive care," Duckworth, who used IVF to have her two children, said in a news release. "On behalf of every woman who has faced the heart-shattering struggle of infertility, all I can say to my Republican colleagues is: Shame on you.”
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Two Republicans voted with Democrats on Right to IVF Act
The Right to IVF Act failed with 51 votes in favor, 44 votes against and 5 lawmakers, including Donald Trump's running mate JD Vance, who did not vote. It would have needed to meet a 60-vote threshold to move forward. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voted with Democrats in favor of the bill as they did in June.
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., accused Democrats of putting forward a "show vote" and moved for immediate passage of her own IVF protection legislation with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., which was blocked by Democrats.
Britt's bill also aimed to protect IVF through federal legislation, but did so by threatening to withhold Medicaid funding from states if they banned IVF.
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Vice President Kamala Harris has made access to reproductive rights a key point of her nascent presidential campaign.
Trump has long supported IVF, but surprised many conservatives this summer on the campaign trail when he promised to require insurance companies or the government to cover costs associated with IVF.
Vance, a senator from Ohio, voted against the Right to IVF Act in June, before he was named the Republican vice presidential nominee. He has also come under repeated fire for his comments about women without children.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and his wife Gwen Walz used fertility treatments to start a family.
Contributing: Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Republicans again block IVF bill in Senate, calling it a 'show vote'