Us Senator Ted Cruz (TX) | Official Website
Us Senator Ted Cruz (TX) | Official Website
Senate Democrats have blocked an effort by U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) to pass the IVF Protection Act, which aims to ensure states do not prohibit access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) services.
On the Senate floor, Sen. Cruz stated, "Today, unfortunately, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are staging an empty show vote, on what they call an IVF bill, in order to stoke baseless fears about IVF and push their broader political agenda. Let's be clear, there is not a single senator in this chamber, on either side of the aisle, who wants to ban IVF. All 100 senators, to the best of my knowledge, support IVF. Not a single one has called for banning it."
Cruz continued by inviting his Democratic colleagues to work with him to pass federal legislation protecting IVF: "I invite my Democrat colleagues to actually do what they claim they want to do, which is work with me today and stand together to pass clear federal legislation protecting IVF."
He emphasized that the American public deserves straightforward pro-IVF legislation: "The American people deserve straightforward pro-IVF legislation. That's why my colleague, Senator Britt, and I have introduced the IVF Protection Act, legislation that offers ironclad federal statutory protection for IVF. Our bill does not engage in backdoor politics. It does not infringe on the deeply held beliefs of individuals or organizations. It simply does what needs to be done, safeguarding the right of couples to grow their family if they choose to use IVF because this should not be a political issue – instead, it's a deeply human issue.”
Senator Cruz collaborated with Senator Katie Britt on introducing the IVF Protection Act. The bill stipulates that states would be ineligible for Medicaid funding if they enact an outright ban on access to IVF. This approach aims to protect nationwide access to IVF without infringing on religious liberties or overriding state health and safety standards for IVF.
Read the full text of the bill here.
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