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Murray, Duckworth, Wild Introduce Bill to Protect Right to Build a Family Through IVF as Extreme Republican Abortion Bans Threaten Access
Published by U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor & Pensions. Read the full article.
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Susan Wild (D-PA-07), introduced legislation to protect every American’s right to access in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technology (ART) as Republicans’ extreme abortion bans in states across the country jeopardize access to technology that millions of Americans—including Senator Duckworth, who relied on IVF to have her two daughters—count on to build a family. The Right to Build Families Act of 2022 would prohibit limiting access to IVF and other ART for any American—regardless of their zip code.
In overturning Roe and enacting extreme abortion bans in states across the country, Republicans have not only ripped away a woman’s right to abortion, they have also jeopardized patients’ ability to get treatment for cancer, lupus, and more—and to access IVF and other ART in order to build a family. The new patchwork of state abortion bans has created significant confusion among patients and providers alike about whether doctors can provide services like ART in states with the most restrictive laws, which has led IVF centers to call for new protections. In a number of states, Republican lawmakers have proposed legislation that would restrict access to ART, and in a leaked audio recording, a leading anti-abortion group advised state lawmakers to avoid discussing regulating IVF and contraception at this time but noted that restrictions could be revisited in a few years.
“Republicans’ extreme abortion bans are forcing women to stay pregnant against their will and are, at the very same time, threatening Americans’ ability to build a family through services like IVF. It’s hard to comprehend, and it’s just plain wrong,” said Senator Murray. “Every American should be able to build a family with help from assisted reproductive technology, and our bill will ensure that they can—in every part of our country. This is a truly commonsense bill, and I hope my colleagues will join us to protect Americans’ right to build a family on their own terms.”
