[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 102 (Monday, June 17, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4109-S4110]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            RIGHT TO IVF ACT

  Ms. BUTLER. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
support of the Right to IVF Act of 2024. I would like to start by 
thanking Senators Duckworth, Murray, Booker, and Leader Schumer for 
their work championing this legislation, which would help ensure IVF 
services are available and accessible to patients across the country.
  It should appall all of us that one of the most common forms of 
assisted reproductive technology is under attack, but it should not 
surprise us. Extreme MAGA Republicans across the Nation will stop at 
nothing to exert control over women's bodies.
  Just 3 months ago, my Republican colleagues in this Chamber had the 
opportunity to stand with women and families. Instead, they blocked a 
bill to expand IVF access and family-building services for veterans and 
servicemembers, which after serving our Nation, for many, is the only 
way to make their dream of having a family possible. And in February, 
the Alabama Supreme Court issued a ruling that ground IVF treatments to 
a halt and ushered in weeks of chaos and confusion for would-be 
parents.
  But it is not just Alabama; women and families across the Nation face 
fear and uncertainty as extreme Republicans in several other States 
seek to limit access to IVF altogether. Following the Alabama Supreme 
Court's ruling that embryos created through in vitro fertilization are 
considered children, so-called fetal personhood bills have been 
introduced in Kansas, Florida, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Georgia, 
Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, South 
Carolina, and Utah during the 2024 legislative session.
  We have seen example after example of MAGA Republicans' shameful 
crusade to rip reproductive health services out of the hands of people 
who need them. It is dumbfounding to see this level of blatant 
contradiction from Republicans who love to tout themselves as being the 
``pro-life party'' on the campaign trail. But here, in the room where 
it happens, they are advocating for policies that would foreclose for 
so many families the opportunity to have children. Their actions speak 
much louder than their words. According to the Department of Health and 
Human Services, IVF has proven to be a necessary family-building tool. 
Yet the ``party of family values'' is intent on blocking this bill.
  Across the country, including in States represented by my Republican 
colleagues, there are stories of countless women and their significant 
others who have spent years waiting, saving, and praying for the day 
they could

[[Page S4110]]

bring a child into the world. These are constituents--our collective 
constituents--who stand to benefit tremendously from legislation like 
the Right to IVF Act.
  This week, I heard from Karli from Santa Rosa, CA, who wrote to me 
about her experience receiving IVF care. She says, ``The biggest dream 
of my life was to be a Mama. When I married my husband, he had gotten a 
vasectomy 18 years earlier. He had surgery to reverse it, so we could 
try to have a baby naturally. We tried for years with no success. We 
looked into adoptions but had no idea the process could be so long, so 
expensive, and no guarantee we would be chosen as parents . . .
  ``After 3 years of fertility issues, we finally saw a reproductive 
specialist. We chose to use donated embryos, and after our 3rd 
transfer, we had a successful pregnancy and live birth. Our daughter is 
the biggest blessing of my life, brings joy, love and laughter to 
everyone she meets.
  ``Without the help of reproductive intervention, she would not have 
been born, and I would not have been able to be a Mama. I am beyond 
grateful, and the world is absolutely a better place with my angel in 
it. . . .''
  I am proud to know that California is leading the charge to protect 
IVF access and reproductive freedom across the board. But there are 
thousands of Karli's in Missouri, in Alabama, in Georgia, and across 
the Nation who are not guaranteed those same rights.
  The Right to IVF Act is needed and necessary legislation. The 
American people are counting on us to safeguard the right to these 
vital services, and I urge my colleagues to join me in advancing this 
bill.

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