Health Care — Democrats to force vote on codifying IVF

Presented by Otsuka — The move would put Republican lawmakers on the spot

View Online Health Care Health Care PRESENTED BY   The Big Story  House Democrats look to force vote on IVF  To put Republican congress members on the spot, House Democrats are looking to force a vote on a bill that would codify the right to in vitro fertilization (IVF) nationwide.  © Photo credit Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), lead sponsor of the Access to Family Building Act, said Thursday that a discharge petition on the bill received 155 signatures in the first 24 hours it was open. In total, the petition has nearly 190 signatures.     "This discharge petition is a chance for every Member of the House to show where they stand," House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (Mass.) said during a press conference. "Will Republicans stand up for freedom? Will they stand with tens of thousands of aspiring parents? Or will they continue to stand by Donald Trump and MAGA extremism?"      The bill would:  Codify a statutory right to IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies and give insurers a statutory right to cover them.  Allow the Justice Department and private individuals to sue any state or local government official for restricting IVF access.    The bill was introduced after an Alabama Supreme Court decision earlier this year ruled that frozen embryos are considered children, criminalizing their destruction. The decision led multiple clinics in the state, including the state's largest health system, to pause IVF operations for fear of legal repercussions until the legislature passed an emergency fix.       The ruling put Republicans on the defensive. They have scrambled to say they fully support IVF but have largely avoided the underlying implications about fetal personhood, which many of them also support.      Discharge petitions need 218 signatures to force action, meaning a handful of Republicans would need to sign on as well as every House Democrat. The legislation has only four Republican co-sponsors, and none of them have signed the petition to date.   Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Strict mask, vaccine rules could have saved as many as 250K lives, says new study Stricter COVID-19 restrictions could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives in the states that refused to institute them, though efforts to close nursing homes and schools likely caused more harm than good, a new study has found. Between 118,000 and 248,000 more Americans would have survived the pandemic if all states had followed some restrictions practiced in Northeastern states, according to findings published …  Full Story Nebraska Supreme Court upholds law banning transgender care for youth and abortions The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday affirmed the state's law banning gender-affirming care for minors and abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy, ruling the two issues were legally allowed to be combined. The abortion ban was added as an amendment to Legislative Bill 574, which would restrict access to gender-affirming medical care for transgender young people, in the final days of Nebraska's legislative session last year.  …  Full Story Arkansas abortion measure's signatures from volunteers alone would fall short, filing shows The signatures collected by volunteers for an Arkansas abortion-rights measure would fall short of the number needed to qualify for the ballot if those are the only ones counted, according to an initial tally from election officials filed Thursday with the state Supreme Court.  Full Story A MESSAGE FROM OTSUKA We hold a deep respect for the value of every mind.  At Otsuka, we will not rest until mental illnesses and brain conditions are approached with the same priority and urgency as our physical health. Discover our commitment to health for every mind In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill: 'Extreme' California blaze could mark dangerous turning point for wildfire season A massive wildfire is engulfing Northern California in flames — ravaging structures and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents from their homes. Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: Marion, Clackamas and Multnomah counties facing measles outbreak (KGW)  New York will allow Beth Israel hospital to close (The New York Times)  4 cases of West Nile virus in Louisiana have been confirmed, health officials say. What to know. (NOLA.com)  What We're Reading  Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Breast cancer survival not boosted by double mastectomy, study says (The New York Times)  Sen. 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