SCHUMER ANNOUNCES: SENATE WILL VOTE TO PROTECT ACCESS TO IVF TOMORROW; MAJORITY LEADER SAYS FAR RIGHT HAS THREATENED IVF CLINICS ACROSS AMERICA – AND WITH WORRY SPREADING – NEW BILL WOULD ESTABLISH NATIONWIDE RIGHT TO RECEIVE, PROVIDE & COVER MIRACLE TREATMENT FOR FAMILIES THAT IS USED BY THOUSANDS OF NEW YORKERS

Days After Senate GOP Shoots Down Popular Women’s Reproductive Bill, Schumer Says He Is Bringing New Bill To Floor TOMORROW To Protect & Expand Access To IVF; Senator Says The ‘Right To IVF Act’ Would Establish Nationwide Right To Receive, Provide Or Cover IVF Services – And Expand IVF Insurance Coverage

Senator Says IVF Is Under Attack—Across NYS, Roughly 10,000+ Babies Were Born Because Of Miracle IVF Access In 2022; MAGA Courts Across Country Have Already Made Clear Women’s Rights Can Be Erased With One Hammer Of The Gavel

Schumer: We All Know Someone Who Has Had Trouble Starting or Growing Their Family – And So It Is Inconceivable The Far Right Might Block IVF Vote

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced a new Senate vote will take place tomorrow on the Right To IVF Act. Schumer said the hard-right has threatened IVF clinics in Alabama and that worry is spreading across the country that reproductive freedoms will be ripped away from millions of Americans.

Schumer said that’s why he’s putting this new legislation on the floor and a successful vote on the Right to IVF Act would establish a nationwide right to receive, provide, and cover this miracle treatment for families so they can have children even if experiencing fertility challenges.

“In-vitro fertilization is the reason millions of parents experience the joy of having a child, but unfortunately, the hard-right is attacking IVF access, and the treatment remains inaccessible to many families because of its high cost. That’s why I’m bringing new legislation to the Senate floor to not only protect IVF access, but make it more affordable for Americans and New Yorkers so all families can achieve their dream of starting or growing a family,” said Senator Schumer. “Right now, want-to-be parents are worried about the financial burden of IVF treatment and terrified the far right is going to take away their path to starting a family. The Right to IVF Act would take historic steps to protect IVF access from extremist attempts to restrict fertility treatment while allowing people to access reproductive care without extraordinary out-of-pocket costs. It’s urgent we protect IVF as a right for our families and pass this legislation ASAP to lower costs for family and make the treatment accessible for all.”

Schumer said since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, there has been attack after attack on one of the most pro-life medical breakthroughs in modern times that boasts overwhelming support among the American people: IVF. According to a new CBS News/YouGov poll, eighty-six percent of Americans support protecting IVF and say IVF should be legal. Schumer said protecting IVF is a no-brainer, commonsense action with broad support and it’s imperative that families have the right to this treatment – while ensuring IVF is affordable and accessible to Americans and New Yorkers experiencing infertility. A summary of the legislation can be found here.

Schumer explained sometimes IVF is the only option for families to have a child, but currently many people struggle to obtain these vital services because they don’t have access or can’t afford reproductive healthcare. Right now, the cost of IVF for families struggling to conceive is enormous— costing tens of thousands of dollars for just one cycle of treatment. Costs for a single cycle of IVF are estimated to range from $15,000 to $20,000 and cost for the number of treatments needed to successfully conceive can easily exceed $40,000. Furthermore, IVF treatment is often not covered by insurance, so the cost of treatment can pose a significant access challenge for lower income individuals.

Schumer said this legislation is also paramount as the hard-right tries to curtail IVF treatment across the country. The Alabama Supreme Court recently ruled to limit IVF treatment across the state, causing fertility clinics to shut down due to concerns about the legal repercussions of offering a full suite of fertility services. As extremists push for IVF access to be taken away across the country, families are facing barriers to reproductive care and are terrified that their only option to start a family could be jeopardized. Schumer said across Upstate NY, there are several fertility clinics working with families and using IVF, and that while New York may not seem like a state with IVF risks, federal roadblocks, or insurance industry changes could absolutely create problems for families, perhaps even dead ends.

Schumer also said that struggling with infertility is painful enough and should not be made harder by families struggling to access vital treatment. The senator said every American deserves the right to have a child through IVF and should be able to access to tools they need to build the family of their dreams without fear or worry.  Schumer said in New York alone, 10,502 infants were born in 2022 thanks to IVF and all New Yorkers should be able to experience this joy no matter their background.

Schumer is a strong supporter in protecting and expanding access to IVF. In March, the senator brought Hudson Valley resident Kate Farley, who at the time was pregnant thanks to the miracle of IVF recently and recently had her second child via IVF, as his guest to attend President Biden’s State of the Union address. Due to a genetic abnormality, IVF was the only option for Kate to get pregnant and avoid experiencing multiple miscarriages. Without IVF, Kate and her husband might never have had children, and would have endured years of emotionally and physically painful miscarriages in their attempts. Schumer said Kate’s story exemplifies how vital it is that we ensure IVF treatment is accessible for families across the country.

Schumer has been a relentless advocate for reproductive freedoms and is vowing to support protecting the right to reproductive technology like IVF. Following the Alabama SCOTUS decision, Schumer stood with Senators Duckworth, Murray, Klobuchar and Baldwin to express his support for protecting the right to IVF. In 2023, a year following the Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade, Schumer re-introduced the Women’s Health Protection Act, the federal legislation to guarantee access to abortion, everywhere across the country and restore the right to comprehensive reproductive health care for millions of Americans.

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