Duckworth skeptical Republicans will back her bill protecting IVF access
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Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said she's skeptical Republicans will back a bill she introduced to safeguard IVF treatment nationwide, saying "it's been crickets since the Alabama ruling."
Why it matters: The Alabama Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that frozen embryos created via IVF are children under state law. Some of the state's IVF clinics have already halted operations as a result.
- In January, Duckworth, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) introduced the Access to Family Building Act to protect the right to access IVF nationally.
What she's saying: "Let's make it clear — Republicans will say whatever they need to say to try to cover themselves on this, but they've been clear," Duckworth said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday.
- "Not a single Republican has reached out to me on the bill. I've introduced a bill, multiple times, now multiple Congresses — but frankly, let's see if they vote for it when we bring it to the floor," Duckworth added.
The Illinois Democrat, who had her two children via IVF, also called out former President Trump, saying he has "been the guy leading this effort to eliminate women's reproductive rights and reproductive choice."
- Trump expressed his support for IVF on Friday, calling on the state's legislature to "act quickly to find an immediate solution to preserve" IVF availability in Alabama.
Duckworth, who is also national co-chair of the Biden campaign, said she is "devastated for all those families that are trying to start families."
- "Basically, Republicans have put the right of a fertilized egg over the right of the woman, and that is not something that I think the American people agree with," she said.
Go deeper: Alabama's top court rules IVF embryos are children
