Continued Access to Fertility Care

Floor Speech

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Ms. MACE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to join my resolution in regard to IVF. My resolution expresses support for continued access to fertility care and assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization in light of Alabama's court ruling last week that has jeopardized access to in vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive technology in the State of Alabama.

For years now, since 2019, I have been advocating for women's issues and women's rights on the issue of contraception, on the issue of contraceptives, and on the issue of abortion exceptions, particularly for the life of the mother, rape, and incest.

In 2019, as a State lawmaker, I told my story as a survivor of rape. When the State of South Carolina was doing its fetal heartbeat bill, it had no exceptions for women who were raped or for girls who were victims of incest, and I was frustrated by that argument because very few women are actually speaking up about women and about those exceptions.

Ever since then, I have become very passionate about protecting women, about protecting their rights, and about protecting access to IVF, et cetera.

Today, I want to point out I have cosponsored legislation and resolutions by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle as it relates to contraception, as it relates to contraceptives, as it relates to providing information and protecting IVF, and, yet, not a single one of them got criticized for the legislation because they were Democrats.

Yet today, I am trying to work with Members on both sides of the aisle together to condemn the ruling in Alabama, to express our sentiment and express our support for IV access for women all across the country.

When a Republican does it, it should be equally supported by the corporate media, but, apparently, it is not.

I am urging my colleagues today to get beyond the divisive politics and look forward to how we can actually work together because this IVF issue shouldn't be Republican, and it shouldn't be Democrat.

The vast majority of Americans--I dare say almost every single American in this country, almost a hundred percent--support efforts to protect women's access to IVF.

I also want to mention, last year I cosponsored H. Res. 345, Debbie Wasserman Schultz' resolution, that recognizes that infertility is a widespread problem that affects populations of diverse ages, races, ethnicities, and genders.

Madam Speaker, 12 percent of women in the U.S. have difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant, and 9 percent of men experience infertility.

The resolution acknowledged that infertility is a disease and that infertility is not just a women's issue because it impacts men also. This is a families' issue.

The Federal Government has a moral obligation to ensure the availability of infertility-related services to all individuals and families without barriers such as access, cost, and coverage.

I remind the press that I also was only one of eight Republicans that voted in favor of Kathy Manning's Right to Contraception Act.

The Greater Access to Contraceptive Options Act ensures women and families across the country have a right to obtain and use contraceptions. It is a commonsense measure in the case of rape, incest, or in order to maintain a healthy and well-functioning body. Reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies requires ensuring contraceptives are available to couples, women, et cetera.

Finally, beyond the numbers as it relates to my resolution regarding support for IVF, IVF has a genuinely positive impact on individuals, families, and communities.

IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies contribute to the birth of over 10 million babies globally every single year. In the U.S., 12 percent of women of reproductive age have utilized assisted reproductive technology.

Infertility is a deeply personal and obviously devastating issue. I am calling on my colleagues today on both sides of the aisle, Republican and Democrat alike, to join me in expressing the sentiment in the whole House of Representatives that we are dedicated to protecting the American Dream of starting a family by cosponsoring this resolution.

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