Most Republicans voted to block a Democratic-led effort to establish a national right to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) by offering legal protections and mandating insurance coverage. The bill mirrored a pledge made by former President Trump that the costs of IVF would be fully covered if he were to win in November.
During the presidential debate last week, Trump called himself "a leader on fertilization."
The vote was 51 in favor and 44 opposed, and the bill needed 60 votes to advance. Only GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) joined with Democrats.
Republicans blocked a vote on the same bill in June. Democratic leaders brought it up again following Trump's comments.
"If Donald Trump is serious about protecting IVF, then he is busily calling all the Republican senators and telling them to vote 'yes' on today's bill," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said ahead of the vote. "And if he's not making those phone calls, well, then we know this is just one more Trump lie."
Republicans derided the bill as a show vote, saying Democrats deliberately misrepresent the GOP's views on IVF. Abortion continues to be one of the toughest issues for Republicans this election, and lawmakers and candidates have pivoted to talking about IVF instead.
"Let's be clear — there is not a single senator in this chamber on either side of the aisle who wants to ban IVF," Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on the floor ahead of the votes.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) blocked a unanimous consent request by Cruz to pass a competing bill he and Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) introduced earlier this year. The bill would cut Medicaid funding to any state that bans IVF, while also ensuring that organizations or health care providers aren't required to provide access.
"I have been perfectly clear about the glaring issue with this Republican bill," Murray said. "The cold, hard reality is this Republican bill does nothing to meaningfully protect IVF from the biggest threats from lawmakers and anti-abortion extremists all over this country. It would still allow states to regulate IVF out of existence. And this bill is silent on fetal personhood, which is the biggest threat to IVF."
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