A bill that sought to enshrine the right for American couples to avail of IVF treatments was blocked by Republicans in the US Senate on Tuesday (Sep 17). This comes just days after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump surprised voters by voicing his support for the procedure......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
The bill was sponsored by Senator Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat, and needed 60 votes to clear the House. However, it failed 51-44, with most Republicans voting against it.
This was the second time that Democrats attempted to push this bill. The first time in late February the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that embryos used in IVF or In Vitro Fertilisation should be considered children and have rights.
Slamming the Republicans, Duckworth after the vote on Tuesday said: “Republicans only seem to care about protecting life when it supposedly consists of some cells in a medical lab freezer.”
“The freedom to get reproductive care is at risk for millions of other women whose most desperate hope in the world is to have a little one of their own,” said the Senator who had her two daughters via IVF treatments.
In August, Donald Trump said that if elected, he would require the government or insurance companies to pay for IVF.
(With inputs from agencies)