Senate Republicans are slated to reject a Democratic bill later today intended to protect access to IVF nationwide.
But GOP senators are insisting this doesn’t mean they oppose the health procedure.
All 49 Republican senators released a joint statement late Wednesday night affirming that they support “continued nationwide access to IVF” and slamming Democrats for seeking to use the issue as a political attack on the GOP:
The statement was led by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.), who tried Wednesday to pass their alternative IVF legislation. The bill would block Medicaid funding from states that ban IVF.
Democrats blocked that bill. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said it was a “PR tool” for the GOP that doesn’t address the issue of “fetal personhood” — a belief that would lead one to oppose IVF.
“It’s just another way for Republicans to pretend they are not the extremists that they keep proving they are,” Murray said.
The Democratic bill, the Right to IVF Act, would create a nationwide right to access IVF. It would also expand insurance coverage for IVF, which is usually an expensive process.
This has been an intense debate ever since the Alabama Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that frozen embryos can be considered unborn children. The ruling led to restrictions on IVF in the state. Alabama’s legislature then passed a law intended to protect IVF, but some Democrats said it was insufficient.
