For the second time in three months, U.S. Senate Republicans have blocked a Democratic attempt to advance a bill that would federally-protect fertility treatments.
Missouri’s U.S. Senators, Eric Schmitt and Josh Hawley, opposed the plan that would have also required insurance coverage for invitro fertilization.
Schmitt, a Republican, said that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York was trying to create a problem that does not exist.
“IVF is protected in Missouri,” Schmitt told Missourinet. “I support IVF. I know good friends of mine who’ve gone through that process. They should be supported. It should be available. It should be more affordable, quite frankly, but this so it’s not at risk anywhere. This was just sort of a show vote with an election just six weeks away to try to make a point.”
Schumer said Republicans cannot claim to be pro-family, and then vote against IVF protection bills.
Schmitt said he is open to making the treatments more affordable.
“I’m not afraid to take on the big insurance companies,” he said. “I think that that proposal needs to probably be fleshed out a little bit. But I’m not opposed to that at all. I’m open to the idea. We weren’t really able to work through any of these things because Chuck Schumer just wanted to have a, you know, an up or down kind of show vote.”
The plan, sponsored by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, would also have provided access to U.S. military members for treatments and counseling.
Schmitt said Democrats are trying to scare families into thinking that fertility treatments are at risk.
“In fact, Missouri has a tradition. There are court cases specifically on this point and state law protects it. So again, I think this is a lot of fear mongering, but if we want to have a discussion about like, making it more affordable or more accessible, we should have that conversation. But this idea that IVF isn’t protected is nonsense,” said Schmitt.
Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren says that it was important to put members on the record after former President Donald Trump said he supports universal coverage of fertility treatments.
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