By Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and George Arison, opinion contributors
The deeply personal decision of when and how to build a family has suddenly become part of a national conversation. At the heart of this conversation is the profound hope held by millions of Americans: to one day hold one’s own child for the first time.
For each of us, that moment came after years of uncertainty, hope, and extraordinary help from others. Our paths were different, but they led to the same realization: You are not free if you don’t have the freedom to decide when and how to have a family.
One of us welcomed a son after doctors said there was only a one-in-a-million chance of conceiving without in vitro fertilization. The other became a father to two children through surrogacy after nearly three years of navigating the financial, legal and emotional complexities of the process.
Those experiences changed us and made one thing abundantly clear: For too many Americans, becoming a parent is far more difficult than it should be.
No one should have to win the financial or legal lottery to become a parent. Yet today’s system is too often defined by staggering costs, outdated policies and unnecessary legal uncertainty. Families and same-sex couples spend years navigating barriers that have little to do with medicine and everything to do with bureaucracy or politics. That should change.
If we are serious about strengthening families, growing our economy, and investing in the next generation, we should be making it easier for Americans to become parents.
This is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue, it’s an American one. When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) shared her experience navigating the costly and complicated fertility care system, the response cut across the usual dividing lines with praise from conservative and progressive media personalities. As a nation, we disagree on many things. But we agree that having a family is a gift and a right, and our system should make it both accessible and affordable for all.
Fortunately, the solutions don’t require reinventing the system. They require modernizing it. Congress and the administration should focus on three practical reforms…
