It was nearly a month ago when Donald Trump, apropos of nothing, published a one-sentence missive to his social media platform. “The Republican Party is charging forward on many fronts,” the former president wrote, “and I am very proud that we are a LEADER on I.V.F.”
No one was altogether sure what he was talking about — especially given how many of his allies on the right are routinely opposed to IVF — though the GOP candidate added some clarity six days later. In an interview with NBC News, Trump said he’d have either the government or private insurance companies cover the cost of IVF treatments for American women who need it.
It was a strange announcement for a variety of reasons, and for reproductive rights advocates, the unexpected vow was difficult to take seriously. But the White House candidate’s declaration — Trump not only supports IVF, he claims it should be free — also gave Senate Democrats an idea.
If the Republican Party’s dominant leader is going to tell voters that the GOP is helping lead the way of IVF, then maybe Senate Republicans might reconsider their opposition to the Right to IVF Act, which Trump effectively endorsed online?
GOP senator rejected this same bill in June, but the former president inspired Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to give his opponents on the other side of the aisle a second try. To the surprise of no one, Republicans — the ones voters are apparently supposed to see as “leaders” on IVF — rejected the legislation again. NBC News reported:
For the second time in four months, Senate Democrats forced a vote on the Right To IVF Act, only to be blocked by Republicans who called it unnecessary and politically motivated as Vice President Kamala Harris seeks to make access to in vitro fertilization a 2024 campaign issue.
The legislation was written by three Senate Democrats — Washington’s Patty Murray, Illinois’ Tammy Duckworth and New Jersey’s Cory Booker — and it would prohibit states from imposing restrictions on the treatments, while also making IVF more affordable.
Two Republican senators — Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Maine’s Susan Collins — voted with the Democratic majority in the latest procedural vote, but every other GOP member balked. The final tally was 51 to 44, with some senators missing the vote.
To advance, proponents needed 60 votes, and they obviously didn’t come especially close.
If these circumstances sound at all familiar, it’s not your imagination. In late February, Duckworth sought unanimous consent — a procedural move designed to help quickly advance uncontroversial measures — on the Access to Family Building Act, which would create legal protections for IVF at the national level. It also failed in response to Republican opposition.
Two weeks later, Murray tried to pass a bill to expand access to in vitro fertilization for military service members and veterans. It, too, was derailed by Republican opposition.
In June, GOP senators rejected the Right to IVF Act, and now those same Republicans have derailed the same bill again.
“Republicans regularly claim that they are the party that stands up for families. Well, today’s bill is about as pro-family as it gets,” Schumer said ahead of the vote. “It helps create families, IVF does. It says that access to IVF should be basic right for all. And it will make sure insurance companies cover IVF treatments in their plans.”
The New York Democrat added, “Republicans can’t just talk their way past an issue as personal as IVF; what ultimately matters is how they vote on the issue.”
The reference to Republican “talk” was of particular interest, because in June every member of the Senate Republican conference — literally, all 49 members — signed on to a joint statement, expressing their collective support for IVF access. “We strongly support continued nationwide access to IVF, which has allowed millions of aspiring parents to start and grow their families,” the GOP senators said.
The result is the latest in a series of “watch what they do, not what they say” moments.
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