Sen. Duckworth pushes IVF bill ahead of Mother’s Day

CHICAGO — Sen. Tammy Duckworth on Friday used the approaching Mother’s Day to renew her push to protect access to in vitro fertilization, which she used to conceive her own two daughters, in a roundtable discussion with local stakeholders on the city’s north side.

Senate Republicans in March blocked her ‘Access to Family Building Act’ that would have protected access nationwide, prompting the senator to modify it in hopes of passage.

“I had to change the legislation from previous years when I’ve introduced it, which was just trying to guarantee access. But now the bill actually creates a statutory right. On passage, the bill would create a right for you to access assisted reproductive technology,” Duckworth said at the discussion with parents and providers at the Fertility Centers of Illinois location on Chicago’s near north side.

In the wake of rulings like the Alabama Supreme Court’s decision to consider embryos created during the IVF process as children, Duckworth said she’s making it a priority for her act to be considered and passed.

Providers present discussed the financial impact people face, something Duckworth’s bill would protect.

“I cannot tell you how many patients I’ve taken care of who tell me, ‘I need to put this on pause because I have to get a second or third job,’ or ‘I need to ask my in-laws for a loan,’ or ‘I need to cash out my retirement loan.’ This is not the way medical care or treatment should be delivered,” Dr. Janet Choi, the chief medical officer of Progyny, shared with those present.

Duckworth said she’s committed to putting her piece of legislation back on the Senate floor for a vote in the coming months. There is a similar bill at the state level that was passed last month by the Senate and the House’s insurance committee that aims to increase access to IVF.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.