Full List of Republicans Who Voted to Protect IVF as GOP Blocks Bill

Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a bill put forth by Democrats to codify broad federal protections for in vitro fertilization (IVF) nationwide.

Only two Republicans sided with Democrats in the 48-47 vote: Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

The IVF process involves extracting eggs from a woman's ovaries and fertilizing them with sperm in a laboratory. The fertilized eggs, or embryos, are then cultured before being implanted into the woman's uterus.

IVF treatment became a heated political topic after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling federally guaranteeing abortion access, in June 2022. In February, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos used in IVF must legally be treated as children under state law, but the decision was later reversed by the state Legislature.

Republican senators criticized the Democrats' Right to IVF Act, which needed 60 votes to pass, as overreaching in its aim. Instead, they had submitted their own legislation, which Democrats said didn't go far enough and blocked on Wednesday.

On Thursday, Murkowski explained her vote in a post to X, formerly Twitter.

"In vitro fertilization is a crucial part of reproductive health, allowing couples with fertility challenges to grow their families. Today I voted to move to consider 'The Right to IVF Act,' legislation that would establish in federal statute the right for an individual to access IVF treatment, which has been called into question at the state level," she said.

"I have significant reservations about the bill's overly broad mandates for insurers to pay for treatment costs—but I want to be clear on my support for a family's right to access IVF. I hope that we can work toward a bipartisan solution to protect access to IVF."

Newsweek contacted Collins' office via email on Thursday for comment.

President Joe Biden denounced the Senate members who didn't support the act in a written statement.

"Once again, Senate Republicans refused to protect access to fertility treatments for women who are desperately trying to get pregnant," Biden said. "And just last week, Senate Republicans blocked nationwide protections for birth control. The disregard for a woman's right to make these decisions for herself and her family is outrageous and unacceptable."

Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas explained to reporters after the vote why he didn't support the legislation.

"Why should we vote for a bill that fixes a non-existent problem? There's not a problem. There's no restrictions on IVF, nor should there be," Cornyn said, according to CNN.