Schumer to make Senate Republicans vote on IVF access again

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday said he would force the upper chamber to vote on a bill regarding protecting access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments.

The bill is the same one that Senate Republicans shut down in June, which would establish a federal right to IVF treatments, make IVF treatments more affordable by making certain insurance plans cover the treatments, and authorize the Justice Department to protect a person's right to IVF treatments through civil lawsuits.

Schumer argued that Senate Republicans were hypocrites because they claim to be "pro-family" while preventing a family from growing through fertility treatments.

“The Senate will vote once again to take up the very same bill we voted on earlier this summer, establishing a nationwide right to IVF and making it easier for people to access this critical treatment,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. 

“Republicans can’t claim to be pro-family on one hand, only to block pro-family policies like federal protections for IVF and the child tax credit," he continued. "But that’s what they did this summer, and I hope we get a different outcome when we vote for a second time.”

A total of 48 senators voted in favor of the package in June, including two Republicans: Maine's Susan Collins and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski. 

IVF is considered a hot button issue heading into the election in November, along with abortion. Former President Donald Trump has stated that he would not support a federal ban on abortion, and would force insurance companies to pay for fertility treatments for couples that cannot have biological children another way.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.