U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth issued a statement in response to Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling classifying frozen embryos from IVF as children. According to Senator Duckworth, the ruling threatens access to assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF for those seeking to begin or expand their families. Duckworth, the lead sponsor of the Access to Family Building Act, says that her bill advocates for the rights of every American to access such services. The Senator emphasized that defining embryos as children under state law could potentially hinder family-building options for many. You can read Senator Duckworth’s full statement below…
“Since the Supreme Court threw out Roe v. Wade, our nation has seen a wave of Republican-led states enacting strict abortion bans to severely limit their residents’ right to access basic reproductive care, leaving many hopeful parents—and those of us who relied on IVF to start and grow our own families—worried about whether access to these important technologies could be next. The ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court—effectively labeling women who undergo IVF as criminals and our doctors as killers—proves that we were right to be worried. No one looking to start or grow their family, in any state, deserves to be criminalized. Now is the time for Congress to pass my Access to Family Building Act and establish a statutory right to access IVF and other ART services for all Americans nationwide.”