September 17, 2024

Duckworth, Schumer, Murray, Booker & Senate Democrats Urge Senate Republicans to Pass Duckworth’s Right to IVF Act, Make It Easier to Access IVF Nationwide

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and other Senate Democrats on the Senate Steps to urge Senate Republicans to pass Senator Duckworth’s Right to IVF Act when it comes to the floor for a vote today. This renewed effort comes after Donald Trump promised that the federal government would cover IVF if he is re-elected and represents a second chance for Senate Republicans to pass this pro-freedom, pro-family legislation and actually do something that would make it easier for Americans struggling with infertility to access IVF. In June, Senate Republicans blocked the Right to IVF Act, which would require health insurers to cover IVF—as well as establish a nationwide right for hopeful parents to access IVF and other assisted reproductive technology (ART). A video of Senator Duckworth’s remarks is available on YouTube and the full press conference can be found on the Senator’s Twitter/X page. Photos of the press conference are available on Senator Duckworth’s website.

“If Donald Trump—the self-proclaimed ‘leader of fertilization’ despite being the reason IVF is at risk in the first place—really wants IVF to be covered, now is the time for him to prove it,” said Senator Duckworth. “Now is the time for him to call on Senate Republicans to pass my Right to IVF Act today so we can protect IVF nationwide while making it easier for Veterans and middle class families to access the fertility treatment they need. The American people know by now we have to watch what Trump and Republicans do, not what they say. It’s past time for Senate Republicans to put their votes where their mouths are.”

“From the moment the MAGA Supreme Court eliminated Roe, the hard right made it clear that they would stop at nothing to limit choice and take away a woman’s right to her own reproductive freedom. Now, conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation have spoken plainly and clearly that IVF is their next target,” said Leader Schumer. “Today, the Senate will once again vote on the Right to IVF Act. If Senate Republicans vote no today, and strike IVF protections down yet again, it will be further proof that Project 2025 is alive and well. Republicans claim they are pro-family; well there is nothing more pro-family than IVF. I urge our Republican colleagues to allow us to get on this bill and codify the right to this vital protection.”

“The only reason IVF is in jeopardy is because Donald Trump overturned Roe v. Wade,” said Senator Murray. “Republicans are willing to say they support IVF but aren’t willing to vote for it and aren’t even willing to disavow fetal personhood. Republicans in Congress are playing the same game as Trump: posturing as pro-family while voting down this bill to help families grow, pretending to support IVF while championing fetal personhood. Despite Republicans’ record, their empty claims about IVF support are only getting more and more brazen. If Republicans are serious about supporting IVF and if Trump’s promise to help families pay for it is more than bluster, there is no reason we can’t pass this bill into law and help a lot of people. Republicans need to realize that families have been listening to what they say—and today they are going to be watching how they vote.”

“Today is a second chance for the Senate to pass the Right to IVF Act and protect the fundamental freedom to grow and start a family for every single American,” said Senator Booker. “Extreme court rulings across our country have continued to show us that reproductive freedoms and access to IVF treatments are in grave danger. In June, the GOP blocked this comprehensive bill and denied countless families the opportunity and right to make a personal decision about starting a family. I urge my Republican colleagues in the Senate to reconsider and join us today to pass this package of bills to protect IVF in America.”

Senator Duckworth’s remarks as prepared are below:

This morning, I got to pack my daughters’ lunchboxes.

It sounds mundane, I know.

But when I spend just a second thinking about it, even that kind of everyday moment with my girls isn’t mundane at all.

It’s a miracle.

Because after 10 years of struggling with infertility after being wounded in combat, I was only able to have my two girls through IVF.

The only reason there are PB&Js for me to make.

The only reason there are tiny sneakers for me to Velcro.

Is because after I came home from war, I had the freedom to seek the health care I needed to make my dream of going from “Tammy” to “mommy” a reality.

But now, thanks to Donald Trump, that right to get reproductive care is at risk for millions of women across this country.

Look, I doubt that Trump even knows what the acronym “IVF” stands for. Half the time I wonder if he can even spell “IVF.”

But despite the incoherent, delusional, frankly embarrassing ramblings that came out of his mouth last week, he is the reason IVF is at risk in the first place.

He’s like a bank robber who steals cash out of the till and flees the scene, then still expects a reward for calling the police to report a crime.

So while it may now be convenient for him to claim that his support of IVF is as huge as the made-up crowd sizes at his rallies, we know the truth:

He is to blame—he and every other Republican who cares more about staying good with Trump than about doing good for the Americans they serve.

Women in this country have been through enough.

What women don’t need is a man who was found liable for sexual abuse controlling what we can or can’t do with our bodies.

What we don’t need are politicians who have sworn fealty to a convicted felon treating us like we’re the ones who are criminals.

Listen, I’m sure that some of my Republican colleagues are gonna run to the nearest camera to claim that their actions have simply been misunderstood.

Well, to those colleagues, I say that today’s vote is your chance to put your vote where your mouth is.

To prove you believe that every woman in this country deserves the chance to be called “mama” without also being called a criminal.

Because look, I went to war to defend this nation’s rights and freedoms.

I did it because I believed so deeply in the importance of that mission.

I’m not asking Republicans to head into combat to show that they care deeply, too.

I’m not asking them to do anything difficult at all, actually.

All I’m asking of them is to simply support this bill that could represent millions of women’s only chance of starting a family.

All I’m asking of them is to vote in a way that reflects the position they claim to have when they’re spouting talking points on cable news.

With that, I’ll hand it over.

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