Current:Home > NewsSenate Democrat blocks Republican-led IVF bill as Democrats push their own legislation -TrueNorth Capital Hub
Senate Democrat blocks Republican-led IVF bill as Democrats push their own legislation
View
Date:2025-04-13 17:23:38
Washington — A Senate Democrat blocked a Republican-led effort to pass legislation aimed at protecting access to in vitro fertilization on Wednesday amid dueling pushes to safeguard access to the procedure after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling brought the issue center stage earlier this year.
Two Senate Republicans, Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Katie Britt of Alabama, introduced the legislation to protect access to IVF last month. But the bill, which would deny Medicaid funds to states that prohibit IVF, was quickly met with pushback by Democrats, who questioned its scope and mechanism. Still, on Wednesday, the senators sought to approve the bill unanimously, meaning a single senator could block its passage.
"To the best of my knowledge, all 100 senators in this body support IVF," Cruz said Wednesday on the Senate floor before attempting to pass the legislation by unanimous consent. "We invite our colleagues in the Senate from both sides of the aisle to join together in supporting this crucial legislation."
Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, objected to the motion, calling the bill a "PR tool, plain and simple."
"I am not going to mince words here. It is ridiculous to claim that this bill protects IVF when it does nothing of the sort," Murray said, adding that the bill allows states to restrict the fertility treatments in other ways.
The bill, known as the IVF Protection Act, would require that states "do not prohibit in vitro fertilization" as a condition for the states to receive federal funding for Medicaid, which provides health insurance for low-income Americans. It doesn't compel an organization or individual to provide IVF services, and it also doesn't preclude states from otherwise regulating IVF — which some Democrats take issue with.
Britt said the bill would give the parents the certainty that access to IVF would be protected, while arguing that it wouldn't "stray" beyond, like the Democrats' proposed legislation.
Senate Democrats have pushed their own bill to protect access to IVF, which they see as more comprehensive. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, has tried to approve her legislation to protect the fertility treatments with the same unanimous consent approach on multiple occasions, attempts that were blocked by one Republican.
The GOP push for its own bill comes as the Senate is set to vote Thursday on a legislative package to protect access to IVF, which includes Duckworth's measure, as Democrats rally around reproductive rights this month.
"If the Senate GOP really supports access to IVF, they can prove it by voting for Democrats' bill tomorrow," Murray wrote Wednesday on social media.
Meanwhile, Republicans have criticized the efforts as part of a summer of "scare tactics."
"The bottom line is the American people deserve better," Britt said of the Democrat's plan. "And there is no better path out there than our bill, the path of common-ground solutions, not show-votes or scare tactics."
Kaia HubbardKaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.
TwitterveryGood! (532)
Related
- Grammy nominee Teddy Swims on love, growth and embracing change
- The U.S. diet is deadly. Here are 7 ideas to get Americans eating healthier
- Below Deck Alum Kate Chastain Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby
- Whatever happened to the Indonesian rehab that didn't insist on abstinence?
- Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
- The Barbie movie used so much pink paint it caused a shortage
- I’ve Tried Hundreds of Celebrity Skincare Products, Here Are the 3 I Can’t Live Without
- The unresponsive plane that crashed after flying over restricted airspace was a private jet. How common are these accidents?
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- An E. coli outbreak possibly linked to Wendy's has expanded to six states
Ranking
- 'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
- Below Deck Alum Kate Chastain Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby
- Cardi B and Offset's Kids Kulture and Wave Look So Grown Up in New Family Video
- SEC sues crypto giant Binance, alleging it operated an illegal exchange
- Rolling Loud 2024: Lineup, how to stream the world's largest hip hop music festival
- Atlanta City Council OK's funds for police and firefighter training center critics call Cop City
- Family of woman shot through door in Florida calls for arrest
- A 1931 law criminalizing abortion in Michigan is unconstitutional, a judge rules
Recommendation
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
Flash Deal: Save $261 on a Fitnation Foldable Treadmill Bundle
Congress Launches Legislative Assault on Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan
The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2 Finally Has a Release Date
Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
U.S. Geothermal Industry Heats Up as It Sees Most Gov’t Support in 25 Years
When does life begin? As state laws define it, science, politics and religion clash
The U.S. diet is deadly. Here are 7 ideas to get Americans eating healthier