Gabby Giffords reveals she was undergoing IVF treatment when she was shot

Former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords , a Democrat, was undergoing in vitro fertilization treatment when she was shot in 2011.

In a new story published in People Magazine , Giffords and her husband, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), detailed their experience going through IVF treatment, which was abruptly cut short after Giffords was a victim of gun violence. Giffords was shot in the head at a "Congress on Your Corner" event at a grocery store in her district near Tucson, Arizona. Seventeen others were also shot, including six people who died as a result.

“The shooting happened on a Saturday morning. Two days later, we were supposed to have an appointment at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Washington, where Gabby had been receiving fertility treatments, to have our embryos implanted to try to begin a pregnancy,” Kelly and Giffords wrote.

“Like a lot of folks, we got married a little later in our lives. One of us had two beautiful daughters from a previous marriage. One of us had never had kids," they continued. "We wanted to grow our family together and were fortunate enough to be able to pursue the only option for us: In vitro fertilization, or IVF. Gabby never made it to that appointment."

“With everything the shooting forced us to leave behind, we weren’t ready to let go of our dream of having a child together. But eventually, we had to. That loss was its own agony,” Kelly and Giffords wrote.

The couple pointed to the recent Alabama Supreme Court ruling on IVF , which created chaos on the national level about reproductive rights. Kelly has been one of the most outspoken Senate Democrats in favor of abortion rights, notably following the ruling that said the state’s 1864 ban was enforceable.

“Make no mistake: The freedom to start a family with IVF is under threat. In Alabama, a decision from the state Supreme Court made IVF virtually impossible for a period of time. In Arizona, the state legislature passed a law that would have threatened access to IVF in our state if it hadn’t been for a veto by Gov. Katie Hobbs,” the couple wrote.

“Our dream of having a child together was taken away by a gunman. The dreams of Americans to have a child together could be taken away by politicians,” Kelly and Giffords continued.

Giffords resigned from Congress in 2012 after serving three terms. The couple has two daughters from Kelly’s previous marriage and a granddaughter.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

“We don’t dwell on what could have been. Gabby’s philosophy is “Move ahead,” and that’s what we did to rebuild our lives and find our purpose after what happened to our family. We have a vibrant family we love, including a granddaughter who brings us so much joy,” Kelly and Giffords wrote.

Republicans in Congress have generally come out in support of IVF treatments, including Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who said, “Having a baby is a pro-life thing. So I’m in favor of it." However, some wings of the party have voiced concerns about IVF. The Southern Baptist Church announced its opposition to the treatment at its convention last week.