***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 at a Senate press conference after Senate Republicans blocked consideration of the Right to IVF Act, legislation Murray leads with Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) that would establish a nationwide right to IVF and other assisted reproductive technology, expand insurance coverage of IVF services to lower the cost of IVF treatment for families, and expand access to IVF and other fertility services for our nation’s veterans and servicemembers. Video of Senator Murray’s remarks is HERE.
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:
“Republicans just voted against IVF for all the world to see. On the record!
“So let’s put to rest—once and for all the idea that Republicans actually care about protecting IVF access.
“And while we are at it—let’s put to rest this utter fiction that their own bill does anything to support IVF.
“I want to set the record perfectly straight here: the issue with the Republicans’ bill is worse than saying it doesn’t do enough to protect IVF, it is that their bill does nothing to meaningfully protect IVF from the very real threats that lawmakers and anti-abortion extremists in their party are making all over this country.
“Their bill would allow states to regulate IVF out of existence!
“Their bill is silent on whether parents should be allowed to have clinics dispose of unused embryos—something that is a common and necessary part of the IVF process.
“And it’s not just their bill—Republicans themselves are silent on this issue too, which is very telling!
“I asked Senator Cruz directly on the Floor yesterday: ‘Do you support letting parents have unused embryos disposed of?’
“And a funny thing happened—he said on the floor he would answer that question, but he never did.
“He spoke about what the laws in some states are, but he never actually said what he supported, he never said what he believes should be law.
“So I’ll ask a question—and this is a question every Republican should have to answer, especially every Republican like Ted Cruz who pretends they want to protect IVF.
“Would you let parents dispose of unused embryos?
“That’s it. That is the question: As a matter of law do you think parents should be allowed to dispose of embryos. We are waiting!
“Now Senator Cruz was not willing to actually give a direct answer—but his record is cut and dry, he supported a Constitutional Amendment to establish fetal personhood as the law of the land.
“That means: a national abortion ban, beginning at conception, that says an embryo should have the exact same rights as a human being.
“It just doesn’t get clearer than that!
“Especially not after the vote we just held today—which put every Republican on the record on IVF.
“Republicans will keep trying to ‘fearmonger’ but it’s very hard to hide a fire when everyone can see the flames.
“We saw what happened in Alabama, and we saw the chaos that it caused.
“We saw what happened yesterday in Indianapolis—a prominent conservative group voting to fully, explicitly oppose IVF.
“And we saw how Republicans voted today. Everyone in America knows the threat to IVF is real, and it is not going away because its inconvenient for Republicans.
“And Democrats, I just want you to know, we are not going away either—we are going to keep fighting to protect IVF, make sure everyone can access this medical care, and make sure that no politician stands in the way. Thank you.”
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