Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) on Tuesday said she will bring up a vote on her bill to protect IVF access nationwide after the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling on frozen embryos.
“I warned that red states would come for IVF, and now they have,” Duckworth said at a news conference with Senate Democrats. “But they aren't just going to stop in Alabama. Mark my words: if we don't act now, it will only get worse.”
Duckworth said she will seek unanimous consent on the Senate floor on Thursday for the Access to Family Building Act, which would create federal protections for IVF and override any potential state limitations.
The senator called the issue of IVF access “personal” and described the difficulties she faced with infertility when she served in the military:
“I didn't know it at the time, but my infertility would become one of the most heartbreaking struggles of my life. My miscarriage more painful than any wound I ever earned on the battlefield.
“So, it's a little personal to me when a majority-male court suggests that people like me, who are not able to have kids without the help of modern medicine, should be in jail cells and not taking care of their babies in nurseries. I know I'm not alone when I struggle to understand how politicians who support this kind of policy can possibly call themselves pro-life.”
