[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 345 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 345
Recognizing that infertility is a widespread problem that affects
populations of diverse ages, races, ethnicities, and genders.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 28, 2023
Ms. Wasserman Schultz (for herself and Mr. Crenshaw) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing that infertility is a widespread problem that affects
populations of diverse ages, races, ethnicities, and genders.
Whereas infertility is a disease recognized by the World Health Organization and
the American Medical Association, and, according to the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), ``a term used to describe the inability of a
couple to get pregnant or the inability of a woman to carry a pregnancy
to term'', and ``defined clinically as not being able to achieve
pregnancy after 1 year of having regular, unprotected intercourse, or
after 6 months if the woman is older than 35 years of age'';
Whereas infertility may also be determined based on a person's inability to
reproduce either as a single individual or with their partner without
medical intervention, or determined by a licensed physician's findings
based on a patient's medical, sexual, and reproductive history, age,
physical findings, or diagnostic testing;
Whereas reproductive and infertility issues affect a substantial number of
Americans, and data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
show that about 12 percent of women in the United States have difficulty
getting pregnant or staying pregnant and 9 percent of men experience
infertility;
Whereas, according to the NIH, there are clear racial and ethnic disparities in
infertility prevalence, and such racial disparities are not unique to
reproductive issues and unfortunately widely pervade the United States
health care system;
Whereas Blacks, Hispanics, Ashkenazi Jews, American Indians, Alaska Natives,
Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, East Asians, Indians and
Pakistanis from the Punjab region, and persons of Caribbean,
Mediterranean, French Canadian, or Middle Eastern ancestry suffer from
disproportionately higher rates of certain diseases and gynecological,
endocrine, and autoimmune disorders, that may contribute to higher rates
of infertility among these populations;
Whereas Hispanics, American Indians, and Alaska Natives have experienced the
most significant change, with fertility in Hispanics dropping 18.78
percent from 2008 to 2016, and fertility in American Indians and Alaska
Natives dropping 15.1 percent during the same period;
Whereas veterans who have suffered traumatic physical injury, post-traumatic
stress disorder, or other physical or mental ailments can and do suffer
from infertility, and data from the Department of Veterans Affairs show
that 15.8 percent of female veterans reported infertility (4 percent
higher than the female average) and 13.8 percent of male veterans
reported infertility (4.8 percent higher than the male average);
Whereas infertility can be caused by genetic conditions, birth defects, injury,
environmental factors, medical treatments, medications, gamete aging and
decreased concentration, viruses, disorders, or other diseases, or may
be idiopathic;
Whereas common causes of infertility are ovulation disorders, uterine or
cervical abnormalities, fallopian tube damage or blockage,
endometriosis, primary ovarian insufficiency (early menopause), pelvic
adhesions, cancer and its treatment, abnormal sperm production or
function, problems with the delivery of sperm, and overexposure to
certain environmental factors;
Whereas infertility disproportionately affects individuals with particular
health complications, such as cancer, because patients must undergo
treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, or
surgery that are likely to harm the reproductive system, organs, or
gametes, and fertility preservation becomes medically necessary;
Whereas the risk of infertility is increased by age, smoking, excessive alcohol
use, extreme weight gain or loss, excessive physical or emotional
stress, or other conditions like diabetes that result in amenorrhea
(absent periods), use of marijuana, exposure to certain medications, and
exposure to environmental toxins;
Whereas infertility is a major life event which may bring about social and
psychological problems, such as anger, depression, anxiety, marital
problems, sexual dysfunction, social isolation, stigma, sense of loss,
and diminished self-esteem;
Whereas a Harvard University study shows that in about 1 in 3 cases, both
partners have had physiological problems during and after experiencing
infertility;
Whereas regulatory disparities and lack of access to health care specialists
cause inequities in the financial burden carried by people who seek
diagnostic testing and treatment for infertility, presenting a barrier
to health care and better health outcomes, and these factors
disproportionately impact minority and lower income individuals; and
Whereas 37 percent of White Americans report they have undergone fertility
treatment or know someone who has, which is significantly higher than 22
percent of Black Americans and 26 percent of Hispanic Americans who
report the same: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes--
(1) that infertility is a disease;
(2) that the United States Government has a responsibility
to help examine, create, and implement solutions to address and
alleviate the problems associated with the disease;
(3) the growing racial, ethnic, and income-based
disparities associated with access to education and awareness,
screenings, treatments, and procedures;
(4) the importance of raising awareness and improving
education about infertility, disabling side effects, associated
mental health issues, and preservation options that will help
people make educated decisions about family building, whether
through medical intervention, adoption, or deciding not to have
children;
(5) the need for encouraging research that will improve
infertility treatments and outcomes and fertility preservation
technologies;
(6) the importance of necessary oversight of government
agencies involved in research and data collection related to
infertility prevalence, treatments, outcomes, and fertility
preservation technologies, and working to ensure the
consistency of data and information-sharing across government
agencies; and
(7) a duty of the Federal Government to ensure the
availability of infertility-related services to all individuals
and families without barriers such as access, cost, and
coverage.
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