Senate divided as IVF protection push fails.

Senate Republicans Block Democrat-Led Bill to Protect IVF Access

• U.S. Senate Republicans block The Right to IVF Act, a Democratic bill aimed at establishing federal protections for in vitro fertilization (IVF), citing unreasonable limitations and restrictions.
• The bill, sponsored by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), aimed to bar states from imposing restrictions and required health insurers to cover IVF treatment.
• Republican Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) support the bill, but it falls short of the required 60 votes.
• Republicans favor an alternative bill by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.), which was blocked by an objection from Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), calling it a "PR tool."
• The bill proposed withholding Medicaid funding from states with IVF bans but allowed restrictions on embryo storage and destruction.
• Recent state-level debates in Texas and Alabama, and a decision by the Southern Baptist Convention to oppose IVF, highlight the polarizing nature of the issue.
• Senate Democrats argue that the Cruz-Britt bill doesn't address "fetal personhood," which led to IVF clinic shutdowns in Alabama.
• Around 2% of U.S. babies are born through IVF, and the procedure has been available since 1981.
• Senate Republicans criticize the Democratic bill as a "partisan campaign of fearmongering," claiming IVF is legal and available nationwide.
• Texas Republicans have not advocated for an IVF ban, but some party delegates seek restrictions, with a proposed state party platform plank describing embryo destruction as "murder."