“Anti-choice extremists made it clear that overturning Roe v. Wade was just the beginning, and last week they took it a step further when the Alabama Supreme Court tried to block women’s access to IVF,” Sen. Jacky Rosen said in a statement Tuesday.
Nevada Democratic lawmakers announced Tuesday they were co-sponsoring federal legislation to protect Americans’ rights to access in-vitro fertilization (IVF), on the heels of a decision by the Alabama Supreme Court which ruled that embryos created through IVF should be considered children.
IVF is assisted reproductive technology where an egg is fertilized outside the womb and the embryo implanted into the uterus, allowing individuals to conceive in cases of infertility.
But earlier this month, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that the frozen, fertilized eggs created through IVF are considered children under state law, prompting reproductive healthcare clinics in the state to halt treatments.
The Access to Family Building Act, which was first introduced in 2022, would override state efforts to limit access to IVF.
In a statement Tuesday, Nevada Rep. Susie Lee–who is co-sponsoring the legislation–said that IVF allowed her to create a family, and without it she would not have her “two incredible children.”
“Alabama is the first step in the far-right’s plan to rob women of the opportunity to become a mother and yet another step in restricting women’s freedoms,” Lee said.
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Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen said IVF provided crucial support to millions of Americans hoping to have children.
“Anti-choice extremists made it clear that overturning Roe v. Wade was just the beginning, and last week they took it a step further when the Alabama Supreme Court tried to block women’s access to IVF,” Rosen said in a statement Tuesday.
Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto and Reps. Dina Titus and Steven Horsford also joined the legislation.
