Support for in vitro fertilization to be put to vote
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate will hold a second vote next week on Democratic legislation supporting in vitro fertilization, although Republican lawmakers are unlikely to change their previous opposition.
Senate Majority Leader Schumer announced the re-vote Thursday afternoon and expressed hope that Republicans would work with Democrats to move forward. measure Go to the final passage. This bill would ensure patients have access to in vitro fertilization.
“Republicans can’t claim to be pro-family on the one hand only to block federal protections for pro-family policies like IVF and the child tax credit,” Schumer said. “But that’s exactly what they did this summer, and I hope when We could get a different result the second time we vote.”
senate final A procedural vote was held on the billin June, despite not getting close to the 60 senators needed to advance.
48-47 procedural votingLargely along party lines, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska broke with Republicans in favor of moving forward with debate and eventual passage to a vote.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, opposed advancing the bill during debate, saying the legislation was unnecessary because no state currently bans in vitro fertilization.
“Today’s vote is disingenuous – advancing a bill that is hastily drafted and destined to fail would do a disservice to all those who might seek IVF treatment,” Cassidy said at the time.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., spoke in support of approving the legislation, saying in June that the bill should not be “controversial, especially if Republicans are serious about” supporting IVF.
“As we saw in Alabama, the threat to IVF is not hypothetical, nor is it exaggeration, nor is it alarmism,” Murray said.
Earlier this year, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos constitute children under state law and that state lawmakers must provide criminal and civil protections to IVF clinics.
The Alabama judge’s opinion temporarily caused all in vitro fertilization clinics in the state to close their doors to patients, wreaking havoc for couples hoping to start or grow a family through a complex, exhausting and often expensive process.
The issue has come up in the presidential campaign as well, and Debate on September 10 Composed of Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump.
