Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) will try to force a vote Wednesday on a bill that would protect in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures in the wake of a controversial Alabama Supreme Court ruling. state.
He plans to ask his fellow senators for unanimous consent to bring his bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., to the floor for a vote.
The move Duckworth expects will be a move that Duckworth predicts will force Republicans to vote on IVF, as several Republican senators scramble to make clear their support for IVF in the wake of a national backlash over the Alabama decision. The aim is to make it clear whether or not they believe in protecting the United States. The court’s decision faced significant scrutiny because it determined that embryos created during the IVF process should be considered children under state law.
Several Republicans have since addressed the issue, including Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Josh Hawley (R-Missouri). and said he supports infertility treatment methods.
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Sen. Tammy Duckworth speaks about a bill that would establish federal protections for in vitro fertilization as Sen. Patty Murray looks on during a press event at the Capitol on Tuesday, February 27, 2024. (Getty Images)
“I never thought we needed it until now,” Romney told Politico of Duckworth’s bill.
“We may have to look at what’s available. I understand that each state is looking at their laws as well. If it wasn’t for IVF, I would have had a few fewer grandchildren. ” he said on Monday.
Hawley went further, saying, “I think IVF should be protected by law, just like it is in my state,” USA Today reported. The Missouri Republican also noted the difference between abortion and in vitro fertilization issues.
Senator Josh Hawley (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
Some Republicans have publicly expressed support for the approach but not the bill in question, but the office of Vermont Democratic Sen. Peter Welch said he and his Democratic colleagues indicated support for the bill.
Despite some Republican support for IVF and the Duckworth bill, aides to several Republican senators indicated that someone was likely to oppose it.
“Democrats are using fear tactics and the media to scare voters,” Blackburn, who believes IVF should be protected, said in a statement.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn questions Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on March 16, 2023, at the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Martin, File)
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In response to the Alabama ruling, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Executive Director Jason Thieleman released a memo urging candidates to support IVF, making the decision problematic for vulnerable Republicans. He expressed concern that this may be the case.
Duckworth and several other Democratic senators are scheduled to address the floor Wednesday at 4:45 p.m., ahead of the request for unanimous consent.
