Senate Republicans block bill to protect IVF nationwide

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are at a stalemate when it comes to protecting in vitro fertilization.

On Thursday, Senate Republicans voted down a Democratic IVF bill, after Democrats blocked a GOP-backed IVF bill Wednesday.

Without IVF, Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) wouldn’t have his son.

“My wife and I welcomed this amazing little man, Jack Hickenlooper, into our family. In vitro gave us what we hoped for,” Hickenlooper said.

It gave Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)  what she hoped for, too.

“It is only thanks to IVF that I get to be embarrassingly proud when I hang my six-year-old’s drawings on my Senate office walls,” Duckworth said.

Democrats’ “Right to IVF” Act aimed to ensure access to IVF nationally and make it more affordable through insurance.

“We need to make sure women have the freedom to make our own reproductive decisions,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) said.

The bill failed, largely on party lines.

Republicans say it isn’t needed, since no states currently ban IVF.

The issue gained national attention after an Alabama Supreme Court decision in February forced many clinics to pause operations, before state lawmakers passed protections.

Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy says Democrats are politicizing the issue.

“A deceiving, disrespectful bill to misinform and scare the public to gin up Democratic votes for November,” Cassidy said.

Cassidy says Republicans made their support for IVF clear with their own bill that Democrats blocked Wednesday. It would have denied Medicaid funding to states that ban the procedure.

“I support IVF. Republicans in the Senate support IVF,” Cassidy said.

After the vote, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said it’s a sad day.

“Republicans cannot say they’re pro-family but then vote against protecting IVF. But that’s exactly what they did,” Schumer said.

House Democrats have a similar bill, but don’t currently have the votes to bring it to the floor.

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