U.S. Senate Rejects In Vitro Fertilization Bill
Written by on September 22, 2024
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On September 17, 2024, the United States Senate held a cloture vote on S.4445, the Right to IVF Act.[1] In a victory for the pro-life cause and for religious liberty, the Right to IVF Act was blocked. While the Senate voted 51-44 in support of cloture, the Right to IVF Act did not receive the 60 votes needed to advance it to the Senate floor.
As its title would indicate, the Right to IVF Act would give individuals a right to access in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments and a right to make decisions regarding embryos that contain their genetic material. Sponsored by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), the Right to IVF Act would overrule any state laws that limit access to IVF. Importantly, the bill would require that fertility treatments be covered under Medicare and Medicaid, as well as under private insurance plans that include obstetrics; the bill would also provide such coverage to servicemembers and military veterans. The legislation could make it impossible for states to pass laws protecting the religious liberty of medical personnel and faith-based hospitals that wish to opt out of participation in IVF.
New York Families Foundation has compassion for couples that struggle with infertility. Nevertheless, our Christian principles require us to oppose the Right to IVF Act. As we have previously stated, IVF should only be practiced if it is practiced in a manner that respects human life. The typical practice of IVF involves the creation of “extra” embryos that are either frozen or discarded. As we and our pro-life allies at California Family Council asserted in a statement entitled “Responding Ethically to IVF,” the law should “protect against the creation and intentional destruction of ‘excess’ embryos.” The Right to IVF Act fails to provide any such protection; furthermore, it would require insurers to provide coverage for IVF without regard for any ethical objections that those insurers may have to the procedure.
The Right to IVF Act received favorable votes from every Senate Democrat that was in attendance, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York. The bill was opposed by all Senate Republicans that were in attendance except Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). While New York Families is displeased that Senate Republicans have unanimously come out in support of access to IVF, we appreciate the 44 Republican senators who voted against this bill.
[1] A Senate cloture vote is a vote to limit debate and end a filibuster, allowing a proposed bill to proceed to a final Senate vote. Under Senate rules, if a cloture motion regarding a given bill receives favorable votes from three-fifths of sitting U.S. senators (typically 60 senators), the bill proceeds to a final vote. If fewer than three-fifths of Senate members vote in favor of a cloture motion, the bill fails.
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