Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced a Tuesday vote on an in vitro fertilization bill that resembles a proposal from former President Donald Trump in a letter on Sunday, a strategy to put Republicans on defense over reproductive politics ahead of the election.
In a Dear Colleague letter, the New York senator unveiled his plans to hold a secondary vote on a bill Senate Democrats offered up earlier this summer in an attempt to capitalize on recent comments from Trump, who has called for mandating free access to IVF.
“In June, after the Alabama Supreme Court jeopardized access to IVF for millions of women and couples, we held a vote on this same legislation, and almost every single Senate Republican voted against even beginning debate on the issue,” Schumer wrote in the letter.
“As our national debate on reproductive rights has continued to unfold, we have seen the Republican Party’s nominee for president claim to be ‘a leader in fertilization’ and come out in support of expanding access to IVF by requiring insurance companies to cover IVF treatment — a key provision included in the Right to IVF Act. So, we are going to give our Republican colleagues another chance to show the American people where they stand,” he added.
During last week’s presidential debate, Trump pitched himself as a “leader” on IVF. He has attempted to counter attacks from Democrats who claim a second Trump presidency would hurt fertility care, going as far as to pledge free IVF treatments that would be paid for by insurance companies or the federal government. Many Republicans are pushing back against his proposal and have expressed skepticism and concern about the high cost of such a policy.
The Right to IVF Act was introduced by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who used IVF to have her two children. The legislation would make the treatment more accessible through insurance and for military and veterans. In June, the legislation failed to advance in a 48-47 procedural vote. Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) were the only Republicans who voted for the bill.
Senate Republicans attempted to advance a proposal of their own that would discourage states from banning IVF in June, but Senate Democrats blocked it.
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“Tuesday’s vote will be a consequential moment in the national discussion on reproductive rights. As a caucus, I know we stand with millions of Americans — Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Liberals and Conservatives — who want access to life-changing IVF treatments,” Schumer said.
“The American people deserve another chance to see if Senate Republicans will back up their words and vote for access to IVF or vote against it. It’s that simple,” he added.
