Elizabeth Carr is a first-of-her-kind medical miracle, born right here in Virginia.
“It’s something I’ve been talking about for 42 years — or, as long as I could string a sentence together really,” Carr said.
Carr was the first baby born in the U.S. by IVF.
A controversial treatment in the 80s, the fertility method is now facing attacks from lawmakers.
“Everybody who has that hope of building a family, and that’s one of the things that struck me with the Alabama ruling was that in an instant, that hope was dashed for many, many folks,” Carr said.
President Biden is expected to address a number of issues related to access to fertility treatments and reproductive rights during the State of the Union address.
That’s why Virginia Senator Tim Kaine (D) decided to bring Carr as his guest.
“I was shocked a few weeks back, though I wasn’t surprised when an Alabama Supreme Court ruling triggered health systems in Alabama to stop in-vitro fertilization. This was exactly what many of us predicted would happen when the Dobbs Decision was rendered,” Kaine said.
The ruling came with a wave of emotions according to Carr.
“I felt like an endangered species because it truly felt like a personal attack,” Carr said.
Some of the same lawmakers that are putting IVF at risk are the same ones claiming to be pro-life and pro-family, which gives mixed messages to people trying to grow their families through IVF, according to Carr.
“When people say they are profamily and then don’t back those up with actions, I think that’s the most critical point right now. You can’t say that you’re for family building and IVF, and then in the same breath kind of block access to those things,” she said.
Carr drives home that this issue affects both Democrats and Republicans.
“This affects people on both sides of the aisle. The rate of people who experience infertility is one in six,” she said.