[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 144 (Tuesday, September 17, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6071-S6072]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Right to IVF Act

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, there is perhaps no more personal a 
decision one can make than the decision of whether or not to start a 
family. For many people, starting a family is the greatest joy there 
is. It makes everything else secondary.
  Yet for millions and millions of people, infertility can be a 
nightmare and a source of pain. Thankfully, we live in a time when, 
thanks to treatments like IVF, infertility is not the end of the story.
  Sadly, accesses to IVF can no longer be taken for granted. From the 
moment the MAGA Supreme Court eliminated Roe, the hard right made clear 
that they would keep going. As we saw earlier this year in Alabama, IVF 
has become the next target of ultraconservatives, and access to this 
incredible treatment is more vulnerable than ever.
  Today, the Senate will hold a simple and pivotal vote on whether or 
not to take up, once again, the Right to IVF Act. I thank Senator 
Duckworth, as well as Senators Murray and Booker and all the others, 
who have championed this bill for months. They are great leaders on 
this issue.
  If the Senate votes no today and strikes IVF protections down yet 
again, it will be further proof that Project 2025 is alive and well.
  Remember: Donald Trump's Project 2025 is tied to the Heritage 
Foundation, one of the most important and extreme conservative think 
tanks in the country. And, earlier this year, they came out fiercely 
against today's bill protecting IVF. They were even against the fig-
leaf fake IVF bill pushed by Senators Cruz and Britt. That is how 
extreme they are.
  If people want to see how strong Project 2025's grip is on the GOP, 
the outcome of today's IVF vote will be very, very revealing.
  And yet, by all accounts, there is every reason in the world for 
Senators to vote yes today. Today's vote is simply a motion to 
reconsider. We are merely asking whether or not this bill is worth 
debating. Democrats certainly think it is. We certainly think that if 
any issue is worth discussing in this Chamber, it is protecting 
Americans' reproductive freedoms. And we Democrats extend an open 
invitation to our Republican colleagues to join us.
  Republicans regularly claim that they are the party that stands up 
for

[[Page S6072]]

families. Well, today's bill is about as pro-family as it gets. It 
helps create families--IVF does. It says that access to IVF should be a 
basic right for all. And it will make sure insurance companies cover 
IVF treatments in their plans.
  The last point is key. Expanding insurance coverage for IVF is 
something the vast majority of Americans support. A survey from Pew 
Research from last month showed that even a majority of Republicans 
surveyed support it--even a majority of Republicans.
  Nevertheless, 3 months ago, nearly every Senate Republican voted 
against protecting IVF in this Chamber. It was astounding to watch 
them. With a straight face, our Republican colleagues claimed that, of 
course, they cared about supporting families; of course, they supported 
IVF--just not enough to actually vote to protect it.
  That makes no sense--no sense. Republicans can't just talk their way 
past an issue as personal as IVF. What ultimately matters is how they 
vote on the issue.
  So to my Republican colleagues today, you get a second chance: Either 
stand with families struggling with infertility or stand with Project 
2025, which aims to make reproductive freedoms extinct.
  If the Republicans truly care about helping families, they should 
vote yes to protect IVF. If the Republicans truly reject the insanity 
and cruelty--cruelty--of Project 2025 and its extreme conservative 
agenda, they should vote yes to protect IVF.
  On the other hand, if Senate Republicans vote no today and strike IVF 
protections down again, it is further proof that Project 2025 is alive 
and well.
  So, again, we hope Republicans join us to do the right thing. We ask 
Republicans to join us because women's reproductive freedoms are in a 
time of crisis, and we need to push back.
  It has been 2 years since the MAGA Supreme Court overturned Roe v. 
Wade. Today, 22 States have passed abortion restrictions--14 of them 
essentially full bans. Over one in three American women have lost 
access to reproductive care. Many of them have to drive hundreds of 
miles out of State to get the care they need, and that still often 
comes with long wait times. Doctors fear they will be jailed if they 
offer treatments. Women in need are at risk of being turned down at 
hospitals, and it can become a matter of life and death.
  This week, America tragically learned of the first confirmed case of 
a woman dying because abortion bans prevented her from getting the care 
she needed. She was a young woman from Georgia, a 28-year-old and the 
mother of a 6-year-old. She had to travel out of State to get 
reproductive care, and when she needed emergency surgery after a rare 
complication, doctors in Georgia delayed giving her the care she needed 
because of the new restrictions on the books. By the time she went into 
surgery, unfortunately, it was too late. She tragically passed away. 
The State declared that her death was preventable had she only gotten 
care sooner.
  Worst of all, there are, undoubtedly, more cases like hers. These are 
the terrible and deadly consequences of restricting reproductive 
freedom. The tragedy that happened in Georgia, of a preventable death 
because of abortion bans, is why Project 2025 is so dangerous: deadly 
restrictions to reproductive care; monitoring women's pregnancies; 
banning mifepristone; laying the groundwork for a national abortion 
ban; putting IVF at risk.
  To my Republican colleagues, the choice is yours. Americans are 
watching; families back home are watching; and couples who want to 
become parents are watching too. Republicans cannot say they are pro-
family but vote against protecting IVF. They cannot say they reject 
Project 2025 but vote against protecting IVF. That is what is at stake 
today. I urge everyone to vote yes.