On the recordSeptember 17, 2024
I first want to thank our colleague Senator Duckworth from Illinois for her leadership. Anyone that sees the beautiful pictures of her two girls with their different personalities, both of whom would not be here without these procedures, would understand once you see those kids. As we all know people in our families, our friends, our neighbors who, literally, their families are there because of this procedure, we understand how disappointing this vote was. That is a Minnesota euphemism for what happened in just the last hour, where we only had two of our Republican colleagues--the same two who voted with us last time--who were willing to stand up for IVF. IVF is a miracle medical treatment for families who couldn't otherwise have children. Over the last four decades, 8 million babies-- 8 million babies--have been born around the world thanks to IVF. Yet today we are moving backwards. The right to IVF is under attack because 2 years ago, the Supreme Court decided to shred half a century of legal precedent and strip away women's right to make their own healthcare decisions. Now American women are at the mercy of a patchwork of State laws, as my colleague from Illinois just described, which governs their access to reproductive care, including fertility treatment.…
