In The News
Why IVF looks different in the US than in the rest of the world
Earlier this month the Atlantic ran an opinion piece describing the American fertility industry as “strangely undeveloped” from a regulatory perspective. The two authors — a conservative political analyst and an anti-abortion bioethicist — claimed the landscape for assisted reproductive technology has left “parents, children, clinics and practitioners” without basic protections and safety guardrails. Their ominous arguments are part of a much older debate over whether the US fertility … Continue Reading
March 20, 2024
Sen. Duckworth pushes for protection of IVF treatments
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Illinois U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-8th) is urging federal lawmakers to pass bipartisan legislation to protect in-vitro fertilization treatment. "It comes about a month after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling briefly halted some procedures in the state. "When Alabama defined a fertilized egg to be a person, and their code defines murder as intentionally causing the death of a person, the intentional disposal of an embryo, even a non-viable one that could cause a … Continue Reading
March 15, 2024
Boeing 737 Max engine issue will take up to a year to fix, company tells lawmakers
Boeing told lawmakers its planned fix for an engine issue on all 737 Max jets will take up to a year, delaying certification of the 737 Max 7 and Max 10 airliners. In written responses to questions from Sen. Tammy Duckworth, chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, obtained exclusively by CBS News, Boeing says it has assembled a team of technical experts to "quickly drive forward a safe and compliant solution" to an issue that could cause the 737 Max engine anti-ice system to … Continue Reading
March 14, 2024
Slain Palestinian American boy honored with Congressional resolution backed by Illinois members
WASHINGTON — Twelve members of Congress from Illinois introduced a resolution to honor Wadee Al-Fayoume, the 6-year-old Palestinian American boy from Plainfield who law enforcement officials said was slain Oct. 14 in an anti-Muslim hate crime. The measure is backed by Illinois Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and House representatives Jonathan Jackson, Robin Kelly, Delia Ramirez, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Mike Quigley, Sean Casten, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Jan Schakowsky, Bill Foster and Lauren … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
2 Chicago doctors to be guests for State of the Union address
CHICAGO (CBS) - On the exclusive guest list for Thursday night's State of the Union address were two Chicago doctors who do important work in their community. CBS 2 spoke to them before they took their seats to witness history. Their schedules in Chicago have been cleared, but the two Chicago doctors had a busy day in Washington, D.C. "On a typical Thursday, I'd probably be in some meetings and maybe looking at some new research," said Dr. Amanda Adeleye Adeleye and Dr. Lisa Green will be … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
Sen. Tammy Duckworth says Alabama's new law protecting IVF "does not go far enough"
Birmingham, Alabama — A champagne toast was held Thursday at Alabama Fertility in Birmingham, celebrating the return of in vitro fertilization procedures one day after the Alabama legislature passed legislation to protect IVF services. Nearly half the state's clinics had paused procedures after a controversial ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court last month determined that frozen embryos are considered children. Three embryo transfers were performed at Alabama Fertility on Thursday, just … Continue Reading
March 07, 2024
Democrats invite women affected by abortion and IVF rulings to Biden’s State of the Union
WASHINGTON — Democrats are putting reproductive rights front and center at the State of the Union on Thursday night, inviting guests affected by the Supreme Court’s reversal of federal abortion protections and Alabama’s controversial court ruling on in vitro fertilization last month. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., will bring with him the nation’s first IVF baby, Elizabeth Carr, who was born in 1981. “I was aware of her story after the Alabama decision,” Kaine told NBC News on Wednesday. “I saw an … Continue Reading
February 29, 2024
Senate Republican blocks bill to protect IVF after Alabama ruling
A Republican senator has blocked legislation that would protect in vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive technologies in the wake of an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are children under state law. Prominent Republican officials and candidates have voiced support for IVF since the Alabama ruling, though Democrats have responded with skepticism, arguing that the GOP paved the way for the ruling with antiabortion policies. The effort by Sen. Tammy Duckworth … Continue Reading
February 29, 2024
The Transportation Department proposes new rules for how airlines handle wheelchairs
WASHINGTON — For people who use wheelchairs, air travel can be a nightmare. There are countless stories of wheelchairs damaged, delayed and even destroyed. Now the Biden administration is trying to change that by proposing new standards for how airlines must accommodate passengers with disabilities. "Transportation is still inaccessible for far too many people, and that's certainly true for aviation," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a call with reporters. "This is about … Continue Reading
February 29, 2024
Feds propose steep fines when airlines damage wheelchairs
(CNN) — Airlines damaged or lost more than 11,000 passenger wheelchairs last year - and a new federal proposal seeks cut the inconvenience for wheelchair-reliant travelers with six-figure penalties against airlines. The Department of Transportation proposal, unveiled Thursday, would establish new airline passenger rights. Those include the right of immediate notification when a wheelchair is lost or damaged, the right to a loaner and the right to choose how the wheelchair is repaired. It … Continue Reading
February 28, 2024
US Senate Republicans Block Democrats' Bill Assuring Right to IVF
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democrats on Wednesday failed in an attempt to rush legislation through the U.S. Senate guaranteeing Americans' access to in vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive technologies, after an Alabama court designated frozen embryos as children. The state Supreme Court ruling on Feb. 16 that frozen embryos should be considered children prompted at least three Alabama providers to halt the IVF procedure that involves combining eggs and sperm in a laboratory dish … Continue Reading
February 28, 2024
Republican blocks Senate Democrats' push to pass IVF protections nationwide
Sen. Tammy Duckworth was blocked by Republicans on Wednesday from unanimously passing legislation to establish a right to access assistive reproductive care like in vitro fertilization -- a push spurred by a recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling that embryos are children, which has upended IVF in the state. Before attempting to pass the bill, Duckworth gave a passionate speech and shared her own experiences with IVF, through which she conceived her two children. "It made my heart whole, it … Continue Reading
February 27, 2024
For Duckworth, the Alabama embryo court ruling is personal
Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s journey to begin a family was not a smooth one. And without in-vitro fertilization, it would have been an improbable one. The Illinois Democrat told National Journal that she had put family plans on pause for her military career. “My unit that I had just left command of was notified that it was deploying to Iraq,” she said. “At which point, of course, I volunteered to go with them because I couldn’t see letting the unit that I commanded for three years go off to war … Continue Reading
February 27, 2024
Duckworth leads reproductive rights charge after Alabama IVF ruling
WASHINGTON - Democratic senators, led by Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, are pushing for the protection of reproductive rights in the aftermath of a recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling regarding in vitro fertilization (IVF). The ruling, which deemed frozen embryos created through IVF as children under state law, has sparked outcry among lawmakers advocating for reproductive freedoms. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer joined Senator Duckworth and fellow Democrats on Tuesday to unveil the … Continue Reading
February 27, 2024
Sen. Tammy Duckworth to bring up vote on bill to protect access to IVF nationwide
Washington — Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, said she plans to bring up a vote on legislation that would safeguard access to in vitro fertilization nationwide on Wednesday, as the issue has come into the political spotlight in recent weeks following a ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that has led clinics in the state to halt the treatments. "They aren't just going to stop in Alabama. Mark my words, if we don't act now, it will only get worse," Duckworth said at a news … Continue Reading
February 27, 2024
Duckworth, trying to compel suddenly pro-IVF Republicans, pushes protections bill
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth said she will bring her bill to protect a federal right of access to in vitro fertilization to the U.S. Senate floor on Feb. 28. In the wake of concerns raised by the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision last week declaring that embryos used in IVF were children, Duckworth said she hoped Republicans would not block a move to adopt the Access to Family Building Act by unanimous consent. “Let’s see tomorrow, when the rubber hits the road, whether they show up and show … Continue Reading
February 27, 2024
Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth demands vote on federally protecting IVF treatments
CHICAGO (CBS) -- U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) is demanding a vote Wednesday on a bill to protect in-vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments federally. "My girls are my everything. I likely would not have ever been able to have them had I not had access to basic reproductive rights that Americans, up until recently, had been depending on for decades," Duckworth said. Her renewed push for the bill comes after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos should be … Continue Reading
February 25, 2024
Duckworth: ‘It’s been crickets’ from GOP colleagues on bill to protect IVF
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) went after her GOP colleagues on Sunday, claiming their words defending in vitro fertilization (IVF) are empty after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling last week. The ruling handed down Monday classifies fertilized embryos as children, meaning failed IVF procedures could result in criminal charges for hospitals and doctors. Multiple major Alabama hospitals have stopped offering IVF because of the decision. Duckworth said no GOP colleagues have supported her bill … Continue Reading
February 25, 2024
Sen. Duckworth skeptical Republicans will back IVF bill after court rules embryos are people
Reacting to a controversial new Alabama Supreme Court ruling that embryos should be considered people under the law, Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth said on Sunday that she was "devastated" for how this could affect treatments like in vitro fertilization. She also called out conservatives whom she suggested were being disingenuous in distancing themselves from the case. "Let's make it clear: Republicans will say whatever they need to say to try to cover themselves on this, but they've been … Continue Reading
February 18, 2024
Sen. Tammy Duckworth visits Sweden to deliver message that NATO allies can continue to count on the U.S.
WASHINGTON — Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is in Sweden, where she is meeting with Swedish defense and foreign affairs officials as the nation is poised to join NATO at a time when the GOP presidential frontrunner, Donald Trump, seeking another White House term, is encouraging Vladimir Putin to attack members of the alliance. Duckworth traveled to Sweden over the weekend — and will continue on to the Netherlands later this week — with two missions on the agenda. She is a member of the Armed … Continue Reading
