***WATCH: Senator Murray’s Remarks***
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, delivered the following remarks about the upcoming Senate vote on her Right to IVF Act at this afternoon’s Senate Democratic leadership press conference. Murray discussed how Republicans’ attempts to dismiss this vote and deny that their legislative agenda is in fact a direct attack on IVF are not going to fly. Senators Murray and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released a FACT SHEET on recent GOP attacks on IVF—showing again that the threat to IVF from Republican lawmakers and anti-abortion activists is real and growing. Video of Senator Murrays remarks is available HERE.
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:
“I think we have all heard from Republicans trying to now pretend they support IVF, but as everyone knows, actions speak louder than words—and the record here tells a very different story.
“Republicans have tried to pretend that IVF is not at risk—but we all remember how so many of them said Roe was settled law. They have tried to pretend this is fearmongering, but we all saw with our own eyes what happened earlier this year in Alabama—where IVF was thrown into chaos.
“They have tried to say that no one wants to ban IVF, but right now over half of House Republicans, including the Speaker, support a nationwide abortion ban that says life begins at conception.
“Last Congress, there were 19 Senate Republicans on that same bill. So don’t let them tell you this is some fringe ideology that they don’t know about.
“Republicans support and want to pass into federal law the alarming idea that frozen embryos have the same rights as human beings.
“That dangerous concept of ‘fetal personhood’ is a sincere belief that is deeply embedded into the mainstream of the Republican Party—there are no two ways about it.
“So, Republicans want the American people to forget where they stand when it comes to reproductive health—at least through November.
“That’s why Republicans have introduced their own legislation so they can pretend to address the same problem they say doesn’t exist, but their bill has huge loopholes that would let states restrict IVF in all different kinds of ways. It purposefully ignores what happens to unused embryos, and it would do nothing to stop fetal personhood laws from totally upending IVF care.
“Every single Republican needs to answer clearly, for the record: do you want our laws to protect IVF? Or do you want laws that say frozen embryos have the same rights as living, breathing human beings?
“You cannot have both. They are fundamentally incompatible.
“So anything short of a straight answer should set off an alarm bell for the American people—one that says clearly: Republicans will end IVF as we know it.
“And unfortunately so far, when it comes to IVF, Republicans have done everything except give a straight answer to that question.
“But we’re not going to let them off the hook, and that is why tomorrow we are going to put every Republican on the record when we vote on the Right to IVF Act.
“If you support IVF, you should support a bill that protects IVF nationwide, and ensures IVF is covered for more people to lower the cost for middle-class families—including more of our veterans and servicemembers, who should never have to sacrifice their right to start a family.
“I expect any Republican who is actually serious about protecting IVF to join us tomorrow in voting for this bill.
“And I expect the American people to remember exactly who did not.”
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