Senate Democrats Block Britt-Cruz IVF Protection Act

Senator Britt Delivers Floor Remarks on Continued Support for Nationwide IVF Access

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 12, 2024 – U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) today delivered a speech on the Senate floor and joined Senators Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kans.) in moving for passage of S.4369, the IVF Protection Act, which was blocked by Senate Democrats.

Last month, Senators Britt and Cruz introduced the IVF Protection Act and have continued to speak out about the importance of protecting nationwide access to in vitro fertilization.

A transcript of Senator Britt’s remarks can be found below:

I was proud to join my colleague from Texas in introducing the IVF Protection Act.

I’m grateful for his leadership on this important topic.

As a mom, I know firsthand that there is no greater joy in this life than that of being a mother.

IVF helps aspiring parents across our nation experience the miracle of life, and start and grow a family.

That’s why I strongly support continued nationwide IVF access.

IVF access is fundamentally pro-family.

For the millions of Americans who face infertility every year, IVF provides the hope of a pathway to parenthood.

We all have loved ones – whether they’re family members or friends – who have become parents or grandparents through IVF.

Across America, about 2% of babies born are born because of IVF.

That’s about 200 babies per day.

So think about the magnitude of that number – and the faces, stories, and dreams it represents.

In recent decades, millions of people have been born with the help of IVF.

Along with my colleague, Senator Cruz, I was honored to lead Senate Republican colleagues in a joint statement emphasizing our shared support in continued nationwide access to IVF.

IVF is legal and available in every single state across America.

That includes my home state, where Governor Ivey and the Alabama Legislature acted quickly and overwhelmingly earlier this year to protect IVF access for our state’s families.

Today, the Senate has an opportunity to act quickly and overwhelmingly to protect IVF access for our nation’s families.

That’s what the IVF Protection Act would do. It’s straightforward, just as Senator Cruz has said.

This bill would give aspiring parents nationwide the certainty and peace of mind that IVF will remain legal and available in every state.

Now, I want to break this down as directly as possible.

First, there is only one bill that would protect IVF access and not stray outside those parameters – that’s our IVF Protection Act.

There is only one bill that would protect IVF access while safeguarding religious liberties – that’s our IVF Protection Act.

And there is only one bill to protect IVF access that could get 60 votes in the Senate – and once again, that’s our IVF Protection Act.

However, that’s not the bill that Democrats are going to be putting on the floor this week.

Sadly, they aren’t interested in a bill to actually protect IVF access and figuring out how we could get that to become law.

That wouldn’t advance their true goal – which is about partisan electoral politics.

If Democrats allowed the IVF Protection Act to pass today, they would lose a key scare tactic they believe helps them in November.

And that, ultimately, is what this is all about.

They’re in Week Two of their Summer of Scare Tactics, and eventually, they’ll transition into their Fall of Fearmongering.

At the end of the day, the American people want secure borders, they want safe streets, they want stable prices, and they want strong families.

My colleagues across the aisle know that they can’t sell the Biden Administration’s record on any of these topics.

It’s been failure after failure, yet again.

So instead, they have to rely on distorting and misrepresenting Republicans’ position on issues, including our support for IVF access.

The bottom line is, the American people deserve better.

And there is no better path out there than our bill.

The path of common-ground solutions, not show votes or scare tactics.

Again, I want to applaud the leadership of my colleague from Texas.

Senator Cruz has been a champion as we work to make sure that the world knows that we’re going to protect access to IVF.

While Democrats prioritize scaring families, Republicans will continue to fight [for families].

I yield the floor.

Video of Senator Britt’s remarks can be found here, and high-quality video for media use can be downloaded here.

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