ROANOKE, Va. – Following the recent ruling in an Alabama Supreme Court case, frozen embryos are considered children.
This ruling leaves many questions and concerns about the future of in-vitro fertilization.
This is why Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner are cosponsoring a bill called the Access to Family Building Act.
“I bet everybody on this call is like me. You know someone who has had a child by IVF or you know someone who has been born by in vitro fertilization,” said Senator Kaine.dealing
The bill would give broad protection of fertility treatment for patients to receive it and for healthcare providers to perform it.
The bill would also allow room for legal enforcement.
“It would have enforcement provisions that either a healthcare provider or a patient could bring a lawsuit against a government official or agency that was trying to block them from accessing fertility care,” said Senator Kaine.
10 News reached out to other congressmen representing Southwest Virginia to see if they would support this kind of legislation. You can read their responses below.
“After the Supreme Court struck down decades of precedent in overturning Roe v. Wade, we’re seeing more and more extreme attacks on women’s health care and reproductive freedom. Following the far right-wing ruling in Alabama’s Supreme Court, we have to act now to make sure IVF remains legal and accessible for Americans seeking to build their families.”
Senator Mark Warner, (D) Virginia
“I am supportive of the use of the IVF process. I will review the exact language of any bill dealing with IVF treatment whenever such legislation comes up for a vote.”
Congressman Morgan Griffith, (R) Virginia
“The Alabama case rightly recognizes that every life is precious and should be treated with dignity. The Alabama Supreme Court did not restrict the ability of IVF to continue in Alabama, let alone ban it as some radical pro-abortion Democrats claim. The Duckworth bill is not only unnecessary for IVF to continue, it is sweeping legislation that would override state pro-life laws and individual religious objections to participate in the destruction of embryos.”
Congressman Bob Good, (R) Virginia