Thursday was the latest in a string of votes that Democrats are using to box in Republicans in the Senate before the election; Republicans had previously blocked a bill that would have protected access to in vitro fertilization.
Democrats in the Senate, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and backed by six other senators, have promised more votes on reproductive rights issues before the November election, seeing them as a weapon against Republicans like Donald Trump.
Keep watching. “More are on the way,” Schumer announced during a post-measure news conference.
In a recurrence of last week’s abortion battle, just two Republicans, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Maine’s Susan Collins, voted with the Democrats. However, the bill could not move forward without 60 votes.
The majority of Republican lawmakers stated their opposition to the Democratic measure on the grounds that it was superfluous or because it infringed upon religious liberty and state rights.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) attempted to introduce a separate bill on Wednesday with the help of unanimous consent, but other Republican senators provided an alternative. Democrats vetoed the measure because they thought the safeguards it proposed were largely symbolic.
More evidence that Republicans are aware they can’t let Democrats win the debate over in vitro fertilization (IVF), especially when the Democratic Party under Joe Biden is trying to cast Republicans as constantly seeking to restrict reproductive rights. Ads targeting vulnerable GOP members on the basis of their votes have already been planned by Democratic campaigns and progressive organizations.
In the months leading up to the November election, Democratic leaders will likely repeat this process multiple times in an effort to draw attention to what they perceive as the biggest weakness among Republicans.
It’s necessary to take votes that don’t pass in order to get things done, while I’m not rooting for them to fail,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) told AWN. “Our approach to firearms was that.”
This week, Democrats emphasized that these are not “show votes,” but rather efforts to inform voters about members’ stances on important topics in the ongoing fight for congressional control. Democrats did not consult with Republican senators when they drafted their in vitro fertilization bill, and Collins, who has been an outspoken advocate for reproductive rights safeguards and who voted in favor of the measure, claimed that Democrats did not contact her in the days leading up to the vote.
On Thursday, Schumer declared, “America, this is not a show vote — it is a’show us who you are’ vote” when speaking from the floor.
On Wednesday, the entire Republican National Committee issued a statement declaring their firm commitment to “continued nationwide access to IVF.” However, conservatives do not agree on the practice.
A resolution condemning in vitro fertilization (IVF) was approved on Wednesday by the largest Protestant organization in the country, the Southern Baptist Convention, on the grounds that it allows for “the destruction of embryonic human life.” With 45,000 congregations, Southern Baptists are roughly 13 million strong. The resolution urges them to “only utilize reproductive technologies” that support “the unconditional value and right to life of every human being,” or to think about adoption instead.
Some people who are against abortion are also trying to limit in vitro fertilization and are criticizing politicians from both parties who support the practice. Even in Alabama, they’ve done advertisements claiming that Republicans’ votes to grant civil and criminal immunity to IVF clinic employees amount to a “license to kill” for doctors.
After an Alabama Supreme Court decision earlier this year conferred legal personality to frozen embryos, numerous providers in the state suspended services. Conservatives are disappointed with their party for hastily supporting in vitro fertilization. Heritage, Live Action, and the Family Research Council are among the influential groups who feel politicians are passing up a chance to limit in vitro fertilization (IVF), but they are certain that they can gradually address the issue, similar to how they tackled abortion availability.
On the other hand, many Republican lawmakers have either been hesitant to publicly endorse IVF or have been ready to do so, given the topic’s widespread use and political popularity.
On Wednesday, Cruz—among numerous Southern Baptists in Congress—and Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) sought to bring up a substitute bill they had crafted. Their bill would limit Medicaid money to states that prohibit in vitro fertilization services but permit regulations on embryo storage, implantation, and disposal. Cruz said Democrats would rather “play politics” than establish real safeguards after Sen. Patty Murray’s (D-Wash.) objection halted the vote.
To suggest that this bill safeguards in vitro fertilization is absurd, Murray shot back. “The Republican-led states can impose superfluous regulations and sow legal uncertainty to the point where health clinics are forced to shut down their doors under this bill.”
Senate Majority Leader Tammy Duckworth (D-Washington)—who had two children via in vitro fertilization—said that her party will “keep working on protecting IVF because American families need it.”
By collecting 218 signatures on a discharge petition, House Democrats can bypass GOP leadership’s control of the floor and force a vote on IVF on their own. However, in order to advance in the divisive house, it would require the backing of several Republicans.
Marc Molinaro (R–N.Y.), Mike Lawler (R–N.Y.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R–Pa.), and Anthony D’Esposito (R–N.Y.) are the four Republicans who have joined the effort thus far and are seeking reelection in districts that supported Biden in 2020.
House Democrats demanded that Republicans who advocate in vitro fertilization “put their money where their mouth is” during a morning press conference on Thursday.
Representative Susan Wild (D-Pa.), who is leading the House bill’s sponsorship, stated, “It’s time for Americans to see where all members of the House of Representatives stand.” “The American people crave results, not just words on paper.”
