[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 99 (Wednesday, June 12, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S4025]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Right to IVF Act

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, just a few years ago, it would have been 
unthinkable--unimaginable, even--that access to a safe and widely used 
reproductive service like IVF would be put at risk. But, sadly, after 
frightening decisions like the one from Alabama, not even IVF is safe 
in the aftermath of Roe.
  Today, women and families across America are rightfully worried that 
this basic service could be jeopardized, leaving them without an avenue 
to start a family. So, this week, the Senate will act to put these 
worries to rest and to protect the reproductive freedoms of Americans 
through legislation.
  Tomorrow, the Senate will vote on the Right to IVF Act, led by 
Senators Duckworth, Murray, and Booker. This legislation is simple. It 
establishes a nationwide right to IVF and eliminates barriers for the 
millions of families looking to use IVF to start and grow a family.
  Protecting IVF should be the definition of an easy vote for Senators 
on both sides of the aisle. Nearly everyone knows someone who used IVF 
to start a family.
  I have seen it with my own family. One of my grandkids was conceived 
with the help of IVF, and we are grateful we have had access to this 
service to grow our family.
  My family's story is not unique at all. Millions and millions of 
Americans across the country have the joy of children, thanks to IVF.
  I will be meeting today with a few families and advocates from New 
York who have benefited from IVF. That is why the vast majority of 
Americans--86 percent--support IVF, and only 14 percent oppose it.
  So despite some claims from my colleagues on the other side, 
protecting IVF is not a show vote at all; it is a ``show us who you 
are'' vote.
  This will be a chance for Senators on both sides to show their 
support for strengthening treatments for people to start families. 
Surely--surely--the opportunity to start a family is something that all 
Senators can and should agree on.