Duckworth: ‘It’s been crickets’ from GOP colleagues on bill to protect IVF

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) went after her GOP colleagues on Sunday, claiming their words defending in vitro fertilization (IVF) are empty after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling last week.

The ruling handed down Monday classifies fertilized embryos as children, meaning failed IVF procedures could result in criminal charges for hospitals and doctors. Multiple major Alabama hospitals have stopped offering IVF because of the decision.

Duckworth said no GOP colleagues have supported her bill that would establish federal protections for IVF treatment, even after the GOP Senate campaign arm called on candidates to reject attempts to regulate access to the procedure.

“It’s been crickets since the Alabama ruling,” Duckworth told Martha Raddatz in an ABC “This Week” interview on Sunday.

Duckworth herself used IVF to have her two daughters, now 9 and 5 years old. She denounced the Alabama ruling Sunday.

“I’m devastated for all those families that are trying to start families, but I was not at all surprised,” she said. “Republicans have put the rights of a fertilized egg over the rights of the woman. And that is not something that I think the American people agree with.”

The senator also attacked the GOP campaign arm’s statement, saying it is just a front for the group’s real beliefs.

“Let’s make it clear, Republicans will say whatever they need to say to try to cover themselves on this, but they’ve been clear, and Donald Trump has been the guy leading this effort to eliminate women’s reproductive rights and reproductive choice.”

President Biden denounced last week’s court decision as “outrageous and unacceptable.”

“Today, in 2024 in America, women are being turned away from emergency rooms and forced to travel hundreds of miles for health care, while doctors fear prosecution for providing an abortion,” Biden said in a statement. “And now, a court in Alabama put access to some fertility treatments at risk for families who are desperately trying to get pregnant. The disregard for women’s ability to make these decisions for themselves and their families is outrageous and unacceptable.

“Make no mistake: this is a direct result of the overturning of Roe v. Wade,” Biden added.