Americans want to protect IVF amid battles over abortion, but Senate at odds over path forward

Washington — Americans appear to be in rare agreement when it comes to IVF, with surveys indicating widespread support for safeguarding access to the fertility treatments. But how Congress could act to secure those protections amid perceived threats in states is another question. And in the Senate, lawmakers appear to be at odds over a path forward. 

An Alabama Supreme Court decision earlier this year that deemed that embryos are children under state law and prompted providers to halt fertility treatments in the state brought IVF to the national attention. Though the state legislature moved to protect access to the procedure, the development raised concern about similar moves elsewhere. 

And when Democrats tried to blame Republicans for opening a new front in the battle over reproductive rights, the GOP moved quickly to express support for the fertility treatments as the possibility of restrictions on IVF access threatened to become a liability in November's election.