Republicans in the U.S. Senate voted to block the passage of a Democratic-sponsored bill that seeks to provide a national right to IVF.
On Tuesday, Republicans in the U.S. Senate voted to block the passage of a Democratic-sponsored bill that seeks to provide a national right to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and mandate insurance coverage of such treatments.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, put forward the Right to IVF bill in response to the Alabama Supreme Court’s February ruling that embryos used in IVF procedures should be considered human beings. In the wake of that ruling, IVF has become a prominent national issue at the forefront of the 2024 election cycle, with Democrats claiming that a Trump administration would harm access to fertility care.
Many Republicans, among them Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, have argued against the Democrats’ accusations and come out in support of access to IVF. However, Tuesday’s vote saw Senate Republicans — including Britt and fellow Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville — vote to reject the bill that would protect and expand access to such treatment for the second time since it was introduced in June.
Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, were the only two Republicans to vote in support of the bill. No Democrats voted against the resolution. Ultimately, the legislation failed to reach the 60-vote threshold needed to pass with only 51 “yeas” to 44 “nays” with five senators, three of them Republicans, abstaining.
