On January 18, 2024, Sen. Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Congresswoman Susan Wild introduced the
Access to Family Building Act
. This legislation is designed to offer certainty for both health care providers and patients in relation to medical benefits and assisted reproductive technology services, like IVF, a crucial tool for prospective parents across America. The bill seeks to lessen requirements that either exceed limitations on medically comparable processes, don’t significantly enhance reproductive health or safety, or excessively limit access to such services.
Understanding the importance of fertility treatments to millions of Americans and how it has personally affected Duckworth, the impetus of this legislation is due to the increased threats against reproductive services following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs, which had heightened efforts by states to limit abortion rights.
Duckworth’s press release
advocated for the critical need to protect reproductive services such as IVF from being unintentionally or intentionally impacted by laws that restrict abortion.
The Access to Family Building Act is set to respond to the collateral impacts of the Supreme Court’s reversal of key cases like Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. If enacted, the statute would preempt state and local laws that restrict access to assisted reproductive technology unintentionally or intentionally. The Act creates enforceable rights for the protection of individuals to access assisted reproductive technology treatments, health care providers to perform assisted reproductive technology services for patients, and insurers to provide coverage.
In the past, Duckworth and Wild tried passing federal protections for IVF through the Right to Build Families Act. Despite not progressing politically, Duckworth noted that the new bill benefitted from feedback and improvements developed from the initial effort.
If you want to support or oppose the bill, you can reach out directly to your senators and representatives, or participate in the
Federal Advocacy Day
, an event organized by RESOLVE: the National Infertility Association (RESOLVE) and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) set on May 14, 2024. This could be an opportunity for you to voice your stance directly to your U.S. Senators and Representatives.