Peters Urges Senate Colleagues to Support Legislation Protecting Access to IVF Treatment, Assisted Reproductive Technology

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters spoke on the Senate floor to urge his colleagues to support the Access to Family Building Act, legislation that would protect every American’s right to access in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment, as well as other assisted reproductive technology (ART) services that families depend on to start a family. This week, Peters cosponsored this legislation, which was introduced in response to continued efforts across America to limit access to reproductive health care, most recently in an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that has led some providers in the state to halt IVF services due to legal concerns. U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow is also a cosponsor of the legislation.

“Every American who wants to be a parent should have that opportunity,” said Senator Peters. “And when they’re faced with medical challenges while starting a family, they should have the right to pursue every resource to help them navigate that process.”

“When someone is choosing to have children, politicians should never get in the way. I call on my Republican colleagues to support the Access to Family Building Act, to stop playing politics, and instead stand behind the millions of Americans who simply want the chance to start a family,” Peters concluded.

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The Access to Family Building Act – led by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (IL) and Patty Murray (WA) – would:

·           Establish an individual’s right under federal law to access ART, including IVF.

·           Protect a medical provider’s right to provide ART services, including IVF.

·           Safeguard an insurance carrier’s right to cover ART services, including IVF.

Peters has been a strong advocate for protecting access to essential care and the right of all Americans to make health care decisions privately with their doctors and family. Last year, Peters joined his colleagues in introducing the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2023, legislation seeking to restore the right to comprehensive health care for millions of Americans following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which repealed Roe v. Wade. In 2020, Peters was the first U.S. Senator to publicly share his family’s personal abortion story.

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