AURN News with Ebony McMorris

Senate Rejects IVF Protection Bill

Ebony McMorris
June 14, 2024

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, flanked by Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., left, and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., speak to reporters just after Senate Republicans blocked legislation that would make it a right nationwide for women to access in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, June 13, 2024. Schumer forced a vote on the matter in an effort to drive an election-year contrast on reproductive care. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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The Senate has voted against a bill aimed at protecting access to in vitro fertilization (IVF), a move expected due to strong Republican opposition. The Right to IVF Act, sponsored by Democratic Senators Tammy Duckworth, Patty Murray, and Cory Booker, sought to prevent states from imposing IVF restrictions and mandate insurance coverage for treatment.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., left, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., speak to reporters about a vote to protect rights for access to in vitro fertilization to achieve pregnancy, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Despite support from Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, the bill fell short of the 60 votes needed. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the rejection, highlighting growing concerns over reproductive rights following recent court decisions. Republicans, however, argued the bill was unnecessary and infringed on religious freedoms.

The vote underscores the ongoing battle over reproductive health as the November election approaches.

Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris is a native Washingtonian and University of South Carolina alumna. Her passion is mentoring young adults by teaching community empowerment and media education. She is an NAB member and board member of the Thurgood Marshall Center and was presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than 4,000 hours of community service under the Obama Administration.