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Washington -- Senate Republicans voted Tuesday to artifact a measure that would warrant entree to successful vitro fertilization nationwide -- arsenic Democrats spotlight the contented successful the run-up to the November elections.
The video is from a erstwhile report.
Democrats brought the measure backmost to the Senate level aft Republicans antecedently blocked the measurement from advancing successful June.
Many Republicans person criticized the Democrat-led authorities arsenic unnecessary overreach and a governmental amusement vote, portion saying they bash enactment IVF.
The ballot is portion of a broader propulsion by Senate Democrats to gully a opposition with Republicans implicit reproductive wellness attraction arsenic the 2024 elections approach.
It besides gave Democrats an accidental to enactment Republicans connected the spot aft GOP statesmanlike nominee Donald Trump said successful August that, if elected, helium would instrumentality a argumentation to necessitate either the authorities oregon security companies to wage for IVF treatment. Democrats person questioned the sincerity of the proposal.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer connected Monday pressed for Republicans to articulation Democrats successful voting to beforehand the IVF bill.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, left, speaks astir vitro fertilization (IVF) legislation, connected the Senate steps astatine the Capitol successful Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.
AP Photo/Ben Curtis
"We're already opening to perceive the aforesaid bushed and predictable and unconvincing excuses from our Republican colleagues looking for a mode to ballot against IVF protections," Schumer said. "To my Republican colleagues, if you genuinely enactment IVF, past ballot for a measure that really protects IVF done the missive of the law. Republicans cannot assertion to beryllium pro-family connected the 1 hand, portion past voting against IVF extortion bills connected the different hand."
Senate Republican Whip John Thune was asked past week if Trump's comments connected IVF sum marque things much hard for GOP senators erstwhile they ballot connected the bill.
"I don't cognize of immoderate Republicans not favour of IVF," helium said. "The mandate part, that's a challenging contented for tons of reasons, not the slightest of which is what it does to security costs. We enactment a batch of mandates connected security companies arsenic it is already."
He called Schumer's determination a "show vote" and said helium expects "robust conversation" successful his conference.
The authorities the Senate took up - the Right to IVF Act - would enshrine into national instrumentality a close for individuals to person IVF attraction arsenic good arsenic for doctors to supply treatment, which would override immoderate effort astatine the authorities level to restrict access.
The measure seeks to marque IVF attraction much affordable by mandating sum for fertility treatments nether employer-sponsored security and definite nationalist security plans. It would besides grow sum of fertility treatments, including IVF, nether US subject work members and veterans' wellness care.
The IVF legislative bundle was introduced by Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois on with Patty Murray of Washington authorities and Cory Booker of New Jersey.
Access to IVF came into the nationalist spotlight aft Alabama's Supreme Court said, successful a first-of-its-kind ruling earlier this year, that frozen embryos are children and those who destruct them tin beryllium held liable for wrongful decease - a determination that reproductive rights advocates warned could person a chilling effect connected infertility treatments.
While the state's legislature took enactment aimed astatine protecting IVF successful the aftermath of the ruling, Democrats reason that this is lone 1 illustration of however entree to reproductive wellness attraction is nether menace crossed the nation.
Republicans enactment guardant alternate proposals
Senate Republicans person tried to enactment guardant alternate proposals related to IVF.
GOP Sen. Rick Scott of Florida went to the level connected Monday nighttime to effort to walk a measure aimed astatine making IVF much affordable, by unanimous consent. Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon objected, and alternatively urged their colleagues to enactment Democrats' measure during Tuesday's vote.
The House mentation of Scott's measure is sponsored by GOP Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida The authorities does not spell arsenic acold arsenic the Democrats' program to grow sum of IVF, but it would treble publication limits for Health Savings Accounts and decouple those accounts from precocious deductible security plans successful bid to marque it easier to spend the procedure.
Another Senate GOP measure aimed astatine addressing concerns astir IVF was introduced earlier this year. Sens. Katie Britt and Ted Cruz's legislation, called the IVF Protection Act, has been criticized by Democrats who reason that its connection leaves the doorway unfastened to imaginable restrictions successful the future, though it does accidental that states who prohibit entree to IVF would not beryllium eligible for Medicaid funding.
CNN's Aaron Pellish contributed to this report.
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