Democrats are making a push for reproductive rights this month, two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, despite almost certain opposition from Republicans.
The Senate is scheduled to vote on a legislative package to protect access to IVF on Thursday afternoon.
Alabama Supreme Court
After the Alabama Supreme Court decided earlier this year that embryos are regarded as children under state law, providers stopped providing fertility treatments.
This brought the issue to the attention of the entire nation although the Legislature later approved legislation to safeguard IVF in the state.
Reproductive Rights
Democrats blamed Republicans all over the country as the development raised concerns about similar actions elsewhere and signaled a new front in the fight for reproductive rights.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated on Tuesday, “In the aftermath of Roe and after frightening decisions like the one from Alabama, many families fear that this basic service cannot be taken for granted.”
Right to IVF
The four bills that make up the Right to IVF Act are scheduled for a procedural vote in the upper chamber on Thursday afternoon.
Some of the bills, including some that have been blocked by Senate Republicans before, are included in the package.
Senator Backing
Several senators are sponsoring the package, which has almost no chance of being approved.
These include Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Patty Murray of Washington, and Cory Booker of New Jersey, and centers on the right to receive and provide IVF services while attempting to lower the cost of those services.
Assured Rights
Access to assisted reproductive services like IVF would be made legal under one measure.
In February, Duckworth attempted to get the bill passed with unanimous consent; however, one Republican senator objected, claiming that it would go too far.
Republican Blockers
Earlier this year, a Republican senator also blocked a measure in the package that would have expanded veterans’ access to fertility treatments.
By requiring insurance plans to cover IVF, other provisions aim to cut costs for Americans as prices rise.
Contraception Access
Last week, Democrats tried to advance legislation protecting access to contraception in the Senate, but the majority of Republicans opposed it.
This was another attempt to promote reproductive rights that was unsuccessful. The two votes are part of a Democratic campaign to draw attention to reproductive rights this month in preparation for the upcoming elections, which Republicans have criticized.
Schumer’s Input
Schumer stated at a news conference on Wednesday, “Protecting IVF, like protecting contraception, is not a show vote, it’s a show-us-who-you-are vote.”
However, a driving force at the polls has been the desire of Senate Democrats to put Republicans on record regarding issues pertaining to reproductive rights.
Senator Commentary
According to Murray in a news conference: “Every single Republican needs to answer clearly for the record: do you want our laws to protect IVF or do you want laws that say frozen embryos have the same rights as living, breathing human beings?”
What’s more, with regards to IVF, despite the fact that Senate conservatives have to a great extent communicated help for the fertility medicines directly following the Alabama ruling, officials give off an impression of being in conflict over a way ahead that would fulfill the two parties.
Unlikely Support
Two Republicans in the Senate, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and Alabama Representative Katie Britt put forward legislation to safeguard IVF access, urging bipartisan support.
However, Democrats reacted swiftly, questioning the legislation’s scope and mechanism.
Democrat Rejection
On Wednesday, Cruz and Britt endeavored to support the regulation under unanimous consent, to seize the Democrat-led vote on Thursday.
Murray, on the other hand, resisted the move, describing it as a “PR tool” and arguing that it was “ridiculous to claim that this bill protects IVF when it does nothing of the sort.”
Even though the Democrats’ IVF package is unlikely to move forward, at least one Republican, Maine Senator Susan Collins, has stated that she will vote to move the package forward.
