Congresswoman Lee Helps Lead Fight Against Far-Right's IVF Restrictions

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Watch Congresswoman Lee’s Full Remarks Here

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Congresswoman Lee (NV-03) joined her Congressional colleagues to speak out against far-right attempts to restrict in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive technology (ART) that millions of families rely on to have children. Lee also called for the passage of the Access to Family Building Act to establish a legal right to IVF and other assisted reproductive services, overriding any state effort to unnecessarily limit or ban access.

Lee shared her personal story of having her two children through IVF. 

“Women in America: Wake up. Because the far-right is coming for your freedom and they’re coming for your choice,” said Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03). “I have two beautiful children because of IVF. Infertility is an illness and IVF is the treatment. The extreme Alabama decision is a building block of criminalizing abortion and making sure that women do not have control over their own reproductive and healthcare choices.” 

A full transcript of Congresswoman Lee’s remarks can be found below. 

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Full transcript of Congresswoman Lee’s remarks: 

First of all, it's an honor to be here with so many incredible women and a few great men... 

Because women in America: Wake up. 

I look at all these young women who are of childbearing age, wake up. Because they're coming for your freedom and they're coming for your choice. 

And this is just one more step. It's a building block of criminalizing abortion and, more importantly, making sure that women do not have control over their own reproductive choices and health care choices. We are clear in our position that that choice remains and should remain between a woman and her doctor, not in the Supreme Court, not in the Alabama Supreme Court, not in the House of Representatives. 

And that is why we are so proud to join Susan Wild in her bill, Access to Family Building. Be clear. There is no more pro-life treatment than IVF. There is no more pro-life treatment than IVF. And it is so ironic and cynical that this decision is basically coming out of the extreme pro-life movement. 

And I'm saying it is not pro-life. It is anti-choice and it is anti-woman.  

So, women in America, wake the hell up. 

And I will say this is incredibly personal to me as well. I have two beautiful children because of IVF. And like Representative Trahan, I suffered for years with infertility. It is physically demanding and it is emotionally demanding and it is financially devastating for many, many families.

And my heart goes out to those families who have seen their dreams interrupted because of the Supreme Court in Alabama, who basically wants to make abortion illegal across the board, make sure that fetuses are just as defined as humans. And by the way, it doesn't stop there. It will go even further and start to ban contraception because it. 

And so that is why I'm so proud to stand here with my colleagues. And we are not giving up this fight because this fight is about the 8 million Americans who gave life because of treatments for infertility. 

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