Senate Republicans voted Tuesday to block a bill that would guarantee access to in vitro fertilization nationwide –- as Democrats spotlight the issue in the run-up to the November elections.
Democrats brought the bill back to the Senate floor after Republicans previously blocked the measure from advancing in June.
Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins crossing over to vote with Democrats in favor of advancing the bill on a procedural vote.
The vote is part of a broader push by Senate Democrats to draw a contrast with Republicans over reproductive health care as the 2024 elections approach.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday pressed for Republicans to join Democrats in voting to advance the IVF bill.
Republicans put forward alternate proposals Senate Republicans have tried to put forward alternate proposals related to IVF.
Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon objected, and instead urged their colleagues to support Democrats’ bill during Tuesday’s vote.
Another Senate GOP bill aimed at addressing concerns about IVF was introduced earlier this year.
On Tuesday, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray blocked a uninamous consent request to pass Britt and Cruz’s IVF bill, ahead of the vote on the Democrats’ broader IVF package.
“Our bill is the only bill that protects IVF access while safeguarding religious liberty,” Britt said.
As Democrats draw attention to the issue in the run-up to the November elections, Senate Republicans voted on Tuesday to thwart a bill that would have guaranteed access to in vitro fertilization across the country.
After Republicans had stopped the bill from moving forward in June, Democrats brought it back to the Senate floor.
While claiming to support IVF, many Republicans criticized the Democrat-led legislation as needless overreach and a political show vote. 51 senators to 44 senators from the GOP won. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voting in favor of moving the bill forward on a procedural vote, siding with Democrats.
In light of the impending 2024 elections, Senate Democrats are attempting to differentiate themselves from Republicans in the area of reproductive health care through this vote.
In August, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump declared that, should he win, he would enact legislation requiring insurance companies or the government to cover the cost of in vitro fertilization. This gave Democrats a chance to criticize Republicans on the spot. Democrats have questioned whether the plan is really that sincere.
On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer urged Republicans to vote with Democrats to advance the IVF bill.
Schumer claimed that Republicans seeking to vote against IVF protections were already starting to offer the same stale, predictable, and unpersuasive justifications. “To my Republican colleagues, please vote for a bill that genuinely protects in vitro fertilization (IVF) by the letter of the law if you genuinely support IVF. It is not possible for Republicans to declare themselves pro-family and yet oppose bills pertaining to IVF protection. “.
When asked last week if Trump’s remarks about IVF coverage would make it harder for Republican senators to vote on the bill, Senate Republican Whip John Thune said that they would.
“As far as I know, there are no Republicans who oppose IVF,” he stated. “There are several difficult aspects to the mandate, not the least of which is how it affects insurance rates. As it is, we impose numerous regulations on insurance providers. “.
He described Schumer’s action as a “show vote” and stated that he anticipates “robust conversation” during his meeting.
The Right to IVF Act, the legislation that the Senate took up, would supersede any attempts by state governments to limit access by enshrining in federal law a right for patients to receive IVF treatment as well as a right for physicians to administer it.
The bill requires reproductive treatments to be covered by employer-sponsored insurance and some public insurance plans, with the goal of lowering the cost of IVF treatment. The health care of US military personnel and veterans would also include more coverage for reproductive therapies, such as IVF.
Senator John Kerry, a Democrat, introduced the IVF legislative package. Illinois senator Tammy Duckworth, Patty Murray of Washington state, and Cory Booker of New Jersey.
After Alabama’s Supreme Court declared earlier this year in a landmark decision that frozen embryos are children and that individuals who destroy them may be held liable for wrongful death, access to infertility treatments gained national attention. Reproductive rights advocates expressed concern that this ruling could have a chilling effect on infertility treatments.
In response to the ruling, the state legislature took steps to safeguard IVF; however, Democrats contend that this is just one instance of how access to reproductive health care is being threatened across the country.
Republicans presented other ideas.
Senate Republicans have attempted to offer alternative IVF-related proposals.
Sen. By unanimous vote, Florida Representative Rick Scott took the floor on Monday night in an attempt to pass a bill that would lower the cost of IVF. Democratic Sen. Oregon’s Ron Wyden disagreed and instead urged his colleagues to back the Democratic bill on Tuesday.
Scott’s bill is being sponsored by Republican Rep. in the House. Kat Cammack of Florida says the bill would make it easier to afford IVF by doubling the contribution limits for Health Savings Accounts and severing those accounts from high deductible insurance plans. However, it does not go as far as the Democrats’ plan to expand coverage of the procedure.
Introduced earlier this year, a second Senate GOP bill addressed IVF-related concerns. Sen. Democrats have criticized Katie Britt and Ted Cruz’s legislation, known as the IVF Protection Act, claiming that its wording allows for future restrictions. It does state that states that forbid access to IVF would not be eligible for Medicaid funding.
Tuesday saw Democratic Sen. Prior to the Democrats’ larger IVF package being voted on, Patty Murray obstructed an anonymous consent request to approve Britt and Cruz’s IVF bill.
“The harsh truth is that this Republican-sponsored legislation accomplishes nothing to effectively shield IVF from the most serious dangers posed by legislators and radical anti-abortion activists across the nation. Murray contended that it would still permit states to outlaw in vitro fertilization.
Democrats had previously blocked Cruz and Britt’s bill in June.
According to Britt, “our bill is the only one that preserves religious liberty while protecting IVF access.”. The fact that no one is actually trying to reach the 60-vote threshold despite our discussions and declarations that we want to safeguard access to IVF raises questions about the sincerity of my colleagues on the opposing side of the aisle. We will have a show vote on this matter. “.
Aaron Pellish of CNN contributed to this article.
