CV NEWS FEED // A pair of Republican senators on Monday introduced a bill aimed at protecting the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) industry – claiming the controversial practice is “pro-family.”
Sens. Katie Britt, R-AL, and Ted Cruz, R-TX, teamed up to introduce the “IVF Protection Act.” According to a press release from Britt’s office, the legislation seeks “to ensure that no state prohibits access to [IVF] services.”
“Under the language of the legislation, states would be ineligible to receive Medicaid funding if they banned access to IVF,” the press release pointed out.
Also in the press release, Britt claimed that “IVF is pro-family.”
“I’m proud to strongly support continued nationwide access to this pathway to parenthood for the millions of American couples facing infertility,” she continued:
As a mom, I know firsthand that there is no greater blessing than our children, and IVF helps families across our nation experience the joyous miracle of life, grow, and thrive. This commonsense piece of legislation affirms both life and liberty — family and freedom, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact it into law.
Cruz stated that he is “proud to partner with” Britt to ensure that “IVF is fully protected at the federal level.”
“IVF has given miraculous hope to millions of Americans, and it has given families across the country the gift of children,” Cruz claimed.
>> RELATED: ALABAMA REPUBLICANS OVERWHELMINGLY PASS PRO-IVF BILL <<
Britt and Cruz also penned an op-ed expressing their support for IVF, which was published in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Sunday.
“As Republican senators from Texas and Alabama, we’re united on many issues, including the need to protect both life and access to IVF treatments, which many families rely on to have children,” they wrote.
The senators went on to call IVF “profoundly pro-family.”
“Misconceptions and fear-mongering around the legal standing of IVF do a disservice to families facing infertility,” they continued. “Our bill will honor and support families seeking to welcome a new baby into their lives through IVF.”
CatholicVote director of government affairs Tom McClusky said that the bill “does nothing to protect women or children, instead deciding to defend and protect the billion-dollar IVF industry.”
He challenged Britt and Cruz’s claim in their WSJ op-ed.
“If IVF is so ‘profoundly pro-family’ then why do only 3-7% of all created embryos result in a live birth?” McClusky asked.
