Fertility has been a big discussion in Washington this week as lawmakers looked at bills about access to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other reproductive treatments.
IVF is a treatment that helps someone get pregnant if they have trouble conceiving. The procedure has roots in Hampton Roads since the first IVF baby in America, Elizabeth Carr, was born in Norfolk in 1981.
Watch: First IVF baby in America was born in Norfolk 42 years ago
1st IVF baby in America was born in Norfolk 42 years ago
Alabama decided this year that frozen embryos are people which attached legal liability to the destruction of nonviable embryos. In response, some medical facilities suspended IVF treatments.
"I've gotten messages from around the United States from people saying, 'do you think this could happen here?' Sadly, yes. We all have to be paying attention to these issues right now," said Carr.
Others have noticed the spotlight on IVF too and will be tracking the conversation carefully.
Watch: First person born through IVF attends State of the Union with Va. Sen. Kaine
First U.S. IVF baby, now grown, discusses IVF, attending State of the Union Address
"We want to pursue policies that protect that life, that treat it with the utmost respect and dignity. Those are conversations we’ll have moving forward," The Family Foundation Government Relations Vice President Todd Gathje told News 3 in March.
Since then, the discussion on fertility treatments has only grown as just this week, the Southern Baptist Convention came out against IVF.
Watch: Senate Republicans block Democrat-led push to protect IVF access
Senate Republicans block Democrat-led push to protect IVF access
Still, according to a Politico poll, 86 percent of Americans want to keep the procedure legal.
That's why lawmakers have been deciding if and how access to fertility treatments should be handled.
U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark R. Warner (both D-Va) advocated for their bill, the 'Right to IVF Act' which was discussed Thursday after Senate Democrats forced a vote. They hoped it would protect and expand fertility treatments in Virginia and beyond.
"It's just about as vanilla as it can be. You have a right to access IVF and a provider has a right to provide IVF," said Kaine. "This is overwhelmingly popular with the American public, Democrats, Republicans, independents, politically unaffiliated and we should vote on it."
"Given how popular IVF is, and given the fact that states have taken anti-IVF actions, I think this is a really important bill, Kane mentioned."
Watch: Sen. Kaine holds roundtable in Norfolk to discuss IVF
Sen. Kaine holds roundtable in Norfolk to discuss IVF
"What we wanted to do in this piece of legislation was simply limit it to IVF because IVF is under assault as we've seen by the Alabama law," said Warner.
The "Right to IVF Act" was blocked by Senate Republicans Thursday.
"I’m deeply disappointed that my colleagues failed to protect access to IVF today, including robust protections for service members and military families. I stand firmly with a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions, and I’ll never stop fighting to protect and expand a right to IVF," stated Warner.
"I’m disappointed that my colleagues again chose partisan obstruction over Americans’ right to make medical decisions without government interference, I remain committed to doing everything I can to protect reproductive freedom,” stated Kaine.
The latest vote came a day after Senate Democrats blocked a Republican-led effort to pass their own bill on IVF, the 'IVF Protection Act.'
The bill would have denied Medicaid funding to states that prohibit IVF, but would have allowed states to restrict fertility treatments in other ways.
A separate push by Democrats to advance a bill that sought to protect contraception also fell short in the Senate this month.
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