U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who conceived both her children by IVF, is calling out her Republican colleagues for claiming they support IVF protections — after backlash from the Alabama Supreme Court ruling which defined frozen embryos as “children” — noting how many signed the Life at Conception Act.
The Life at Conception bill (H.R.431) echoes the language of the Alabama ruling: “This bill declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual comes into being.”
In 2023, the Life at Conception bill which was originally co-sponsored by 125 Republicans (GOP Congresswoman Michelle Steele recently reversed her stance after being called out for hypocrisy) was introduced with this language: “To implement equal protection under the 14th article of amendment to the Constitution for the right to life of each born and preborn human person.”
Duckworth’s Senate colleague Katie Britt (R-AL), asserted in her SOTU rebuttal that she is for protecting IVF treatment — but Duckworth isn’t convinced. She wants Britt to prove it on the Senate floor.
Talk is cheap.
If @SenKatieBritt truly wants to protect IVF, she’ll help me pass my Access to Family Building Act—which simply provides patients with a federal right to receive IVF, and doctors a federal right to provide IVF if they want to nationwide.
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) March 8, 2024
After listening to Britt’s rebuttal, Duckworth singled out Britt on X and wrote: “Talk is cheap. If Katie Britt truly want to protect IVF, she’ll help me pass my Access to Family Building Act-which simply provides patients with a federal right to receive IVF, and doctors a federal right to provide IVF it they want to nationwide.”
[Related: Katie Britt’s ‘Baby’ Voice Compared To Mike Johnson’s Wife’s — Here’s Why]
Duckworth’s act has 46 Senate co-sponsors. Senate Republicans blocked the legislation from being passed last week.
[Note: After the controversial Alabama Supreme Court ruling, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill into law aimed at providing civil and criminal immunity to IVF providers and patients for the destruction or damage to embryos.]