Washington — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that the Senate will vote next week on legislation to protect access to IVF that Republicans blocked just months ago, putting the package back on the table after former President Donald Trump claimed to be a “leader” on the issue during the presidential debate this week.
“Republicans cannot claim to be pro-family and then block protections for IVF,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Thursday as he announced plans for the vote. “The American people deserve another chance to see whether Republicans are for access to IVF or against it.” — It’s as simple as that.”
Republican Senators blocked legislationknown as the Right to IVF Act, in June. Only two Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — joined Democrats in supporting the bill’s advancement. Comprised of four bills, the bill focuses on the right to receive and provide IVF services, while also working to make the treatments more affordable.
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“Our bill should have passed in June, and it is more than good enough to pass now,” Schumer said.
The move comes days after Trump said he was “a leader on IVF” during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, and he is has committed to extending access to fertility treatments in recent weeks. But Democrats have blamed Republicans for state-level actions that have threatened access to fertility treatments, such as an Alabama Supreme Court ruling decision In February, providers were forced to temporarily halt treatment.
Since the Alabama decision, Republican senators have broadly expressed support for IVF, but say the Democratic legislation goes too far. Two other Republican senators — Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Katie Britt of Alabama — have introduced their own legislation to protect access to the procedure. But Democrats quickly fired back, questioning the scope of their legislation and its enforcement mechanism.
Britt reiterated in a message on X that all Republican senators “strongly support continued access to IVF nationwide” following Schumer’s announcement Thursday, while criticizing the Senate leader for “fearmongering” on the issue.
As with the June vote, the Democratic bill faces strong odds in the Senate. But Schumer’s decision will give Republicans a public voice after their party’s leader expressed support for popular fertility treatments in the run-up to Election Day.
