VIDEO: Senator Peters Releases Statement After Republicans Again Block Legislation to Protect the Right to Access IVF
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) released the following statement after Senate Republicans again blocked passage of legislation that would guarantee the right to access in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technology (ART) services that American families depend on to start a family. The Right to IVF Act, which Peters cosponsored, was introduced earlier this year in response to continued efforts across the country to limit access to reproductive health care, including access to IVF and ART services.
“IVF is a vital resource that helps hundreds of thousands of Americans start or grow their families. But extremist Republicans are trying to eliminate this reproductive freedom,” said Senator Peters. “That’s why I’m proud to support the Right to IVF Act, which would establish IVF as a statutory right, require employer-sponsored and other public insurance plans to cover fertility treatments, expand options for veterans and servicemembers, and protect Americans against excessive out-of-pocket costs.”
Peters continued, “I’m incredibly disappointed that my Republican colleagues have once again blocked this critical legislation. But I’ll never stop standing with Americans who simply want a chance to start their family.”
Click HERE to watch the video.
The Right to IVF Act is a package of bills that together would protect the ability to receive – and for health care professionals to provide – IVF services. Additionally, the package would expand IVF insurance coverage, making it more accessible and affordable for millions of Americans.
Specifically, the Right to IVF Act includes:
- The Access to Family Building Act, which Peters also cosponsored, that would ensure individuals have the right to access IVF and ART services. It would also protect the right of insurance providers and insurers to cover these services.
- The Veteran Families Health Services Act, which would allow servicemembers to preserve gametes both before deployment to a combat zone or hazardous duty assignment and after an injury or illness. Additionally, it would enhance fertility treatment and counseling options for veterans and servicemembers.
- The Access to Infertility Treatment and Care Act, which would make fertility care, including IVF, more affordable by requiring employer-sponsored and other public insurance plans to cover fertility treatments to protect Americans against expensive out-of-pocket costs.
- The Family Building Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) Fairness Act, which would require employer-sponsored health insurance plans, including the Federal Employees Health Benefit (FEHB) Program, to cover assisted reproductive technology, including IVF.
The Right to IVF Act is supported by numerous key stakeholders, including the National Women’s Law Center, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Reproductive Freedom For All, National Council of Jewish Women, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA).
Peters has been a staunch advocate for protecting Americans’ access to essential care and the right to make health care decisions privately with their doctors and family. Peters spoke on the Senate floor in February to urge his colleagues to support the Access to Family Building Act. Peters also cosponsored and spoke on the Senate floor in support of the Right to Contraception Act, which would guarantee the right to access contraceptives. 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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