IVF Protection Bill Fails in Senate
The Facts
A bill that would guarantee federal protections and insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments Tuesday failed to secure the 60 votes necessary to be brought up for debate.
The vote fell nine votes short of advancing, as Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) were the only Republicans to join Democrats in voting for the bill — the second time in three months the bill has been stopped by Republicans.
The Spin
Trump and the Republicans have done nothing but lie about their support for protections for IVF, and this vote is just the latest evidence of their dishonesty. In fact, Republicans have done more to deter access to IVF and than help women access it, starting with his nomination of the three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade — throwing women's reproductive rights into peril.
Democrats were deceitful by bringing this bill up for a vote again, knowing Republicans couldn't vote for it despite their support for IVF protections. The vagueness of this bill opens the door to the federalization of abortion protections. It also protects genetic engineering of embryos and commercialized surrogacy, morally questionable practices completely unrelated to IVF.
Republicans must stop following Democrats down the road toward supporting unethical and immoral practices that could emerge from the slippery slope of protecting IVF access. In order to halt the Democrats' radical agenda, Republicans must put protecting preborn life and families first.
