Sara Jacobs: “3 years ago during my first year in Congress, I froze my eggs, which means I went through the initial stages of IVF…”

“3 years ago during my first year in Congress, I froze my eggs, which means I went through the initial stages of IVF, except that after egg retrieval, my eggs were frozen and stored. For weeks, I took hormone pills, gave myself injections, and went to the doctor for checkups. Then I had a procedure under twilight sedation to harvest my eggs. Many people use IVF if they are single or LGBTQ+, if they are older or experiencing fertility issues or have suffered multiple miscarriages, but no matter the reason for IVF, it should be a valid and viable choice for anyone. Unfortunately, IVF, like many reproductive healthcare options, is under attack in the courts and here in the Halls of Congress. Madam Speaker, 184 of my Republican colleagues have cosponsored legislation that supports ``fetal personhood'' giving embryos the same full legal rights as a person. {time} 1800 This fringe ideology is dangerous and could be used to prosecute people for miscarriages or for having an abortion and could potentially affect access to birth control, too. It could threaten access to IVF. During IVF, doctors often create more fertilized embryos than they plan on using, because some may be genetically unviable or result in miscarriages. I have 17 mature eggs frozen. Patients like me pay for the storage of our eggs or embryos, and eventually some embryos are usually donated for medical research or destroyed.…”