[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 98 (Tuesday, June 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S4011]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                  IVF

  Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, in vitro fertilization--or IVF, 
as most of us call it--has brought beautiful babies to so many 
families. IVF is a wonderful thing that enables so many Americans 
struggling with infertility to have children and start a family.
  For me, it is personal. My youngest daughter has been undergoing IVF 
treatments to grow her family. But she is just one of countless 
Floridians and Americans using IVF to grow their families and bring 
life into the world.
  While IVF remains available in all 50 States and there isn't any 
credible threat to it, I believe it is important for the Senate to make 
clear our unwavering support for current and aspiring parents using IVF 
to start and grow their families.
  We ought to celebrate Americans trying to grow their families. I am 
proud to lead a resolution in the Senate doing just that. My resolution 
affirms the desire of parents trying to conceive a child to start or 
grow a family; expresses sympathy for the millions of parents 
experiencing infertility issues as they strive to start or grow a 
family and recognizes the immense physical, emotional, and 
psychological toll of pursuing medical assistance for infertility, 
including IVF; cherishes the millions of children born through the use 
of medical assistance to overcome infertility, including through IVF; 
recognizes that medical assistance for infertility, including IVF, is 
and remains legal in all States and territories in the United States; 
affirms that laws enacted by Congress should promote the sanctity of 
human life and support the development and growth of families in the 
United States; encourages further clinical research to improve outcomes 
for parents seeking medical assistance to overcome infertility as they 
strive to start or grow a family; and supports State, legislative, and 
regulatory actions to establish health, safety, and ethical standards 
for medical facilities offering assisted reproductive technologies, 
including in vitro fertilization.
  Now let me take a moment to clarify a few things about the bill the 
Democrats are pushing this week.
  First, let's be clear, there is not a single State in the country 
that has outlawed IVF or has expressed any interest in outlawing IVF. 
This is just empty fearmongering by Democrats who would rather push 
unnecessary bills like this than take meaningful action to secure our 
border, improve our economy, or hold the radical members of the Biden 
administration accountable for their lawless conduct.
  I think everyone here supports IVF, which is great because Democrats 
are typically advocating for unlimited abortion, not more babies, which 
is what we get with IVF.
  If a State takes action against IVF, I will be the first to condemn 
it, but that isn't happening.
  This is ugly politics at its worst.
  I have the resolution I just outlined. I appreciate the work that 
Senators Cruz and Britt have done on this important topic.
  Republicans support IVF, and the Democrats know that. But when we 
vote against this unnecessary bill, that is exactly what they will say 
when they attack us.
  We will not accept this gross purity test from the radical left. The 
American people, who are much smarter than Democrats hope they are, see 
right through this.
  Let's get to work solving real problems, like our wide-open southern 
border and the skyrocketing inflation crushing American families. That 
is the important work the Senate should have been focused on these last 
2 weeks instead of taking political show votes for Democrats to 
shamelessly lie to the American people and themselves.
  But if Democrats insist on taking action that impacts the ability to 
undergo IVF treatments, I have a proposal for them. We should help 
individuals and families better plan and pay for medical expenses, like 
IVF, by decoupling health savings accounts from high-deductible health 
plans, increasing the current contribution limits on HSAs, and 
demanding more upfront price transparency and outcome data from 
providers to allow families to easily shop for services to drive down 
costs through market forces.
  I am working on a bill right now to allow every individual and family 
to better plan and pay for medical expenses, such as IVF, by expanding 
eligibility for health savings accounts and increasing the current 
contribution limits on those HSAs.
  Helping folks financially plan as they try to expand their families 
is smart and the type of commonsense action that families in all of our 
States expect from Washington, DC. They want action, not partisan 
politics or fearmongering, and the legislation I am drafting will be 
hugely beneficial to current and aspiring parents looking at IVF as a 
way to grow their families.
  I hope Senator Schumer and every Democrat will commit to working with 
me on this and passing a good bill that will truly help countless 
families hoping to bring more babies into this world.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Massachusetts.