[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 66 (Friday, April 16, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E410]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN RECOGNITION OF NATIONAL INFERTILITY AWARENESS WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 16, 2021

  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate 
National Infertility Awareness Week and to salute the wonderful 
progress that has been made over the last four decades to help 
individuals have families who otherwise could not. It would shock most 
Americans to know that according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, the disease of Infertility affects one in eight, or 
approximately 7.4 million, American women of reproductive age. The 
disease affects both men and women and it knows no barriers--it affects 
individuals of all races, religious backgrounds, and economic status. 
The good news is that since 1978, as a result of extraordinary medical 
advancements, millions of couples have been able to receive life 
affirming treatments that have resulted in the delivery of babies. 
While this is something that most of us take for granted, it is a 
painful and devastating struggle for millions of couples throughout the 
world.
  As a nurse who has fought for medical advancements in cancer 
treatment and care, in Diabetes care, and in dozens of health 
screenings that bring hope of saving lives, I must admit to absolute 
amazement at the contributions that research scientists and 
Reproductive Endocrinologists have made in the advancement of 
Infertility treatments--including a procedure that allows young cancer 
patients to preserve their fertility prior to undergoing life saving 
chemotherapy treatments. Organizations like RESOLVE, the National 
Infertility Association, and the Alliance for Fertility Preservation 
advocate for the millions of individuals and couples in this country 
who need the help to have a family. Ms. Barb Collura, the CEO of 
RESOLVE, recently testified before Congress in support of fertility 
services for the countless military veterans whose service related 
injuries have rendered them infertile. I am pleased that these 
organizations, these Infertility warriors, are active in my own state 
of Texas as well as throughout the nation.
  As a grandmother and great grandmother, and with Mother's Day around 
the corner, I salute Infertility warriors throughout the country and 
the world, who advocate on behalf of that most precious of gifts, that 
of family.

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