Murray, Duckworth, Booker, Schumer, Lead Congressional Democrats in Renewed Push to Establish a Nationwide Right to IVF and Lower IVF Costs for Families

The Senators' Right to IVF Act reintroduction comes nearly two years since Donald Trump promised free IVF for all, which he's still failed to deliver

***WATCH and READ: Senator Murray's remarks at a press conference introducing the Right to IVF Act***

Washington, D.C. - Nearly two years after President Donald Trump promised free IVF for all Americans on the campaign trail, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are reintroducing the Right to IVF Act, a sweeping legislative package that would make it easier to access in-vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive technology (ART) for the millions of hopeful parents who depend on it to build their family. This pro-family legislation would establish a nationwide right to access IVF, lower the costs of IVF treatment, expand IVF coverage for military families and require all employer-sponsored insurance programs to cover IVF.

"Republicans are not pro-family and they won't lift a finger to help families get IVF-the Texas Republican Party just recently made banning IVF a part of their official party platform," said Senator Murray. "I have fought for a long time to make sure at least servicemembers and veterans, especially wounded warriors, can get the IVF care they need to build a family. But the reality is that we have a Republican Speaker of the House who believes an embryo should have the same rights as an adult woman with children who count on her. America's pro-IVF majority should wake up to the fact that Trump could not care less about IVF-he broke that promise and he is happy to let Republicans attack IVF and all of our reproductive rights. Meanwhile, Democrats are fighting to make sure all Americans can access and afford health care to build their families."

"Almost two years after promising free IVF for all Americans if he were elected, Donald Trump has still failed to deliver," said Senator Duckworth. "Trump and Republicans' 'support' for IVF is nothing but lip service. They want us to have more babies, yet they'll do nothing to actually help make it easier for the millions who struggle with infertility to start and grow their families. The Right to IVF Act would immediately make IVF treatment more affordable for millions of hopeful parents across the country. From middle class families, to our brave servicemembers and Veterans, to federal employees and more-every American deserves the right to access the treatment and tools they need to build the family of their dreams without burning through their savings. If Republicans really support IVF, then let's get this done. No more delays."

"For millions of American families, IVF isn't politics-it's hope," said Senator Schumer. "Donald Trump ran on a promise that he would make IVF free, and yet he has done nothing but attack women's reproductive rights and undermine access to fertility care-another lie in his long list of broken promises to American families. Our Right to IVF Act is essential to putting a deeply personal health care decision back in the hands of American families. While Donald Trump and Republicans erect barriers between hopeful parents and IVF, Democrats will never stop fighting to protect access so that every family can build the future they dream of."

"No one chooses infertility," said Senator Booker. "It's a medical condition that leaves too many families and individuals feeling alone long before they ever seek treatment. When people turn to IVF, they're choosing hope. They're choosing the chance to build the family they've always dreamed of. But that hope comes with a price tag that is simply out of reach for far too many. The medications, procedures, and cycles can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Families and individuals already carrying the emotional weight of infertility are then hit with financial barriers that no one should have to face trying to bring a child into this world. We have to change that. We have to remove those barriers and make IVF affordable and accessible to everyone who needs it. Because the ability to build a family should not be reserved for the wealthy or the lucky, it should be within reach for us all."

Companion legislation is being introduced in the House by U.S. Representatives Lori Trahan (D-MA-03), James Walkinshaw (D-VA-11), Rick Larsen (D-WA-02), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) and Laura Gillen (D-NY-04).

"Like so many people in our country facing fertility challenges, my husband and I turned to IVF as our last hope to have kids. After years of appointments, injections, and setbacks, and thanks to our remarkable physicians, we have two beautiful daughters," said Rep. Trahan. "No one should lose the chance to start or grow a family because of their zip code. The Right to IVF Act guarantees the right to family-creating fertility care in every state and puts it within reach for the millions of families who need it."

"Deciding when and how to build a family is a deeply personal choice that belongs to families, not politicians," said Rep. Walkinshaw. "For millions struggling with infertility, IVF offers hope and a path to parenthood. I'm especially proud the Right to IVF Act includes my legislation requiring IVF coverage through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, ensuring the federal government leads by example. I'm honored to join Senator Duckworth, Congresswoman Trahan, and this coalition to protect IVF nationwide and expand access for servicemembers, veterans, federal employees, and working families."

"For many Americans, fertility treatments like IVF are essential to start families of their own," said Rep. Larsen. "This comprehensive legislation will guarantee access and expand coverage for IVF and other fertility services. The legislation also includes my bill with Senator Murray, the Veteran Families Health Services Act, to ensure fertility treatments are included in servicemembers' and veterans' health benefits. I will keep working with my colleagues in the House and the Senate to make sure that women and men in uniform and working families do not have to sacrifice their dreams of having a family."

"There are few experiences as hard as wanting to start a family and not being able to," said Rep. DeLauro. "That is why I am fighting to ensure Americans have access to IVF treatments when they want to start one. I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Right to IVF Act - because building a family in the United States should never be difficult."

"I am proud to help lead this critical bill ensuring millions of Americans can access IVF to build their families, no matter where they live," said Rep. Gillen. "Families struggling to conceive go through indescribable heartbreak and stress. The last thing they should worry about is legal challenges to IVF delaying or outright halting procedures. Infertility is not a partisan issue. I will continue to work across the aisle in Congress to protect access to IVF and adjacent reproductive technologies that have helped countless individuals experience the joy of parenthood."

Last Congress, Senate Republicans shamefully blocked the Right to IVF Act, exposing the hollowness of Republicans' empty claims to support IVF for the millions of Americans who rely on it to build their family. This marked the fourth time Senate Republicans blocked Duckworth-led legislation that would protect access to IVF nationwide, with previous instances including her Access to Family Building Act that builds on previous legislation she introduced in 2022.

While Senate Democrats continue their efforts to protect IVF and reproductive freedom, Senate Republicans continue making it abundantly clear through their anti-choice extremism and record Medicaid cuts that they would rather undermine access to basic health care for millions of Americans than make it easier for their constituents to start and build a family.

Building on the lawmakers' previous efforts to protect and strengthen access to IVF, this pro-family, pro-freedom legislative package includes:

• Senator Murray's Veteran Families Health Services Act, which would expand the fertility treatments and family-building services that are covered under servicemembers' and veterans' health care to include-among other things-the option for individuals to cryopreserve their gametes (freeze their eggs or sperm) ahead of deployment to a combat zone and IVF for servicemembers and veterans who are unable to conceive without assistance.
• Senator Duckworth's Protect IVF Act, which would establish a nationwide right for patients to access IVF and other ART services, a right for doctors to provide IVF treatment in accordance with medical standards as well as a right for insurance carriers to cover IVF without prohibition, limitation, interference or impediment. By establishing a statutory right, this would pre-empt any state effort to limit such access and ensuring no hopeful parent-or their doctors-are punished for trying to start or grow a family.

• Senator Booker's Access to Infertility Treatment and Care Act, which would increase affordability of fertility care-including IVF-by requiring employer-sponsored insurance plans and public insurance plans to cover fertility treatments. Additionally, it would standardize a baseline of high-quality fertility treatment coverage under private health insurance plans, while protecting Americans against excessive out-of-pocket costs.

• Senator Duckworth's Family Building FEHB Fairness Act, which would require Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program-the largest employer-sponsored health insurance plan in the world-carriers to cover IVF and ART to help more hardworking Americans start and grow their families.

In addition to Murray, Duckworth, Booker and Schumer, the legislation is cosponsored in the Senate by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee-and advocating for women veterans and their access to reproductive health care has been a longtime focus for Senator Murray. Senator Murray called on VA to provide abortion care to veterans early in the Biden administration, and she applauded the Biden administration's announcement later in the year that would begin to provide abortion care for veterans and their eligible dependents to protect the health and life of the individual and in cases of rape or incest. Murray has helped lead the charge in calling out Republicans for their attacks on, and attempts to undo, this limited and commonsense policy.

Senator Murray leads the Veteran Families Health Services Act, comprehensive legislation that would expand fertility treatments-including IVF-and family-building services for servicemembers and veterans who are unable to conceive without assistance, and she has sought unanimous consent to pass the legislation on multiple occasions. She introduced new legislation last summer with Senator Duckworth to help cover IVF costs for servicemembers and military families-and slammed Speaker Johnson for working behind the scenes to strip an amendment mirroring that legislation from the final National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026. Senator Murray voted against the NDAA earlier this month, citing-among other things-the failure to include her provision to expand IVF care for servicemembers and veterans. Senator Murray slammed the Trump administration's initial move to ban abortion care at VA in August, and sounded the alarm again in December when the Trump administration quietly implemented a near-total abortion ban at VA.

Full text of the legislation can be found HERE.

The Right to IVF Act is supported by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), RESOLVE: The National Infertility and Family Building Association, Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), National Women's Law Center (NWLC), American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD Law), Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys, Stand with IVF, AllPaths Family Building, American Association of People with Disabilities, American Atheists, Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, Society for Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility, Society of Reproductive Biologists & Technologists, Society for Reproductive Surgeons, California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network, Endocrine Society, Equality California, Families USA, GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality, Guttmacher Institute, Hadassah, Human Rights Campaign, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda, Indivisible, Justice + Joy National Collaborative, Legal Momentum, Military Family Building Coalition, MomsRising, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National Council on Jewish Women, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, National Partnership for Women and Families, National Women's Political Caucus, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Reproductive Freedom for All, Service Women's Action Network, Silver State Equality, What to Expect Project and Women's March.

"The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) welcomes the bicameral reintroduction of the Right to IVF Act, which would achieve accessible and affordable fertility care for all Americans," said ASRM Chief Advocacy and Policy Officer Sean Tipton. "This visionary and comprehensive effort would protect patients' ability to build their families through safe, evidence-based treatments like in vitro fertilization (IVF). By safeguarding access to assisted reproductive technology (ART), preserving the physician-patient relationship, and expanding coverage for the individuals and families who need it most, this legislation reflects the standard of care that all patients deserve."

"No one should have to wonder whether they'll be able to access the care they need to build their family," said Danielle Melfi, CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility and Family Building Association. "By safeguarding the right to IVF and expanding insurance coverage for veterans, federal employees, and the individuals and families who need it most, this legislation reflects a comprehensive commitment to helping more people build the families they dream of. RESOLVE applauds Senator Duckworth and the bill's sponsors for continuing to put patients and families first."

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