WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Democratic lawmakers in the Senate are calling on their colleagues to pass legislation that would protect access to assisted reproductive technology, like in vitro fertilization, for every American across the country.
This comes after a ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court that determined that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) called the decision “a ruling based on extreme ideology rather than on medical science.”
Sen. Duckworth who co-sponsors the Access to Family Building Act along with Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), said she will bring the bill to the Senate floor Wednesday.
Sen. Duckworth has been open about how IVF is the reason she was able to start a family.
“I warned that red states would come for IVF and now they have, but they aren’t just going to stop in Alabama. Mark my words, if we don’t act now, it will only get worse,” Sen. Duckworth said.
During a press conference Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers blamed Republicans for the ruling and called on them to protect access to IVF.
“This is not hyperbole. This is not hypothetical. This is happening. If Republicans seriously want to help fix the chaos and devastation, they have worked so hard to create they can help us restore the rights enshrined in Roe, which they overturned,” Sen. Murray said.
Several Republicans, including former President Donald Trump have voiced their support for IVF following the ruling in Alabama, but it’s not clear if the bill will have enough support to pass in Congress.
“Congress has a chance to show if they think that every family should have the freedom to decide when and how to build their family,” Sen. Baldwin said.
The bill was introduced in 2022 and then reintroduced again in January.
