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Floor Speech

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Mr. PETERS. Madam President, when my three children were born, it was unlike anything else I have ever, ever experienced before. Those 3 days were the best in my life, and it is hard to put into words how beautiful and how daunting it is to have a child.

Every American who wants to be a parent should have that opportunity, and when they are faced with medical challenges while starting a family, they should have the right to pursue every resource to help them navigate that process. IVF is one of those tools, and it has helped countless Americans. For those who have experienced frequent miscarriages, suffered from genetic disorders, or are otherwise affected by infertility, IVF is an essential procedure. It is safe. It is necessary. And it has given millions of people the chance to have a family.

Last week, a ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court put the future of IVF in jeopardy. So my Democratic colleagues and I went to work. We proposed a bill that would protect the right to seek IVF treatment for all Americans. I am grateful to Senators Duckworth and Murray for leading the charge on this legislation, and I was proud to be one of the cosponsors.

But, yesterday, Republicans blocked the Senate from passing it. They decided to put politics before protecting a critical medical procedure. They have put this resource at risk, one that has allowed millions of women and LGBTQ Americans to have children. They think that they know better than doctors. They think they know better than parents. They think they know more than four decades of proven science. The bill they opposed is literally pro-life and pro-family. Yet Republicans refused to put it on the floor.

Let's not forget how this all started. Senate Republicans stood with former President Trump when he stacked the Supreme Court with extreme judges. And when the Court overturned Roe v. Wade, it ripped the right to make choices about reproductive healthcare away from millions of women.

And now conservatives across the country feel empowered to take it even further. The ruling in Alabama is just the latest instance in the war against reproductive freedom. It could keep millions of Americans from starting families, and Senate Republicans are just fine with that.

We don't know how far this will go. We don't know what other proven procedures Republicans will try to take away from families in the future. We don't know what effect these rulings will have on new innovations in fertility science. We don't know if they are going to come after birth control next. But one thing is very, very clear: This is just the beginning of their efforts to deny reproductive freedom.

IVF should be available to every American citizen who needs it. And when someone is choosing to have children, politicians should never get in the way.

I call on my Republican colleagues to support the Access to Family Building Act, to stop playing politics and instead stand behind the millions of Americans who simply want--who simply want--the chance to start a family.

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