Democrats’ attempt to advance legislation in the U.S. Senate that would guarantee Americans access to in vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive technologies failed Wednesday after an Alabama court designated frozen embryos as children.
The state Supreme Court ruled on Feb. 16 that frozen embryos should be considered children, prompting at least three health care providers in Alabama to halt in vitro fertilization procedures that involve giving couples in lab dishes a chance to conceive. The union of egg and sperm.
The Alabama court’s ruling raises concerns that those involved in IVF could face prosecution because embryos found to be nonviable are sometimes discarded or used for research, and it could encourage other states to follow suit.
Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War veteran who was seriously wounded in combat in 2004. On Wednesday, she sought an immediate vote in the Senate to pass her Home Building Act legislation.
Her motion calling for a vote, which would require the consent of all 100 senators, was quickly blocked by Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith.
“The bill before us today is a huge overreach, full of poison pills and goes far beyond ensuring legal access to in vitro fertilization,” Hyde-Smith said.
Duckworth countered that her bill would only guarantee access to IVF treatments and facilities “without fear of prosecution,” while also protecting IVF providers and health insurance companies.
While many Republican officials expressed displeasure with the Alabama court’s ruling, the party is not yet ready to align itself with Democrats on a hot-button issue related to the national debate over women’s abortion rights.
Duckworth told reporters on Tuesday that she had struggled with infertility for a decade after serving in the military in Iraq, which prompted her and her husband to turn to in vitro fertilization. They now have two children.
“I had five embryos created (through in vitro fertilization); three of them were deemed nonviable, not viable,” Duckworth said.
She said her doctor told her in 2013 that if “personhood laws” were enacted regarding embryos, “I could be convicted of manslaughter or murder for discarding these three nonviable eggs.”
Reproductive rights are expected to be a major issue in this year’s presidential and congressional races, with Democrats slamming the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn its landmark Roe v. Wade decision establishing national abortion rights and subsequent state reproductive rights rights. Action, for example regarding in vitro fertilization.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement Wednesday that Republican efforts to block Duckworth were “outrageous.”
Jean-Pierre added that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris “will continue to work to protect access to reproductive health services, including in vitro fertilization, and call on Congress to reinstate Roe v. Way in federal law.” protections for all women.” states. “
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