Yesterday, Assistant to the President and Director of the Gender Policy Council Jennifer Klein and Assistant and Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the Office of Public Engagement Stephen Benjamin convened a roundtable discussion on the importance of ensuring access to fertility services-including in vitro fertilization (IVF)-in the wake of a devastating Alabama Supreme Court ruling that has halted access to IVF in much of the state. Participants included leaders of national advocacy organizations dedicated to improving access to fertility services, including fertility preservation, and health care provider associations.
Participants discussed the devastating fall-out of this decision and the ongoing impact on women and families on the ground in Alabama-including for patients who rely on fertility preservation services ahead of and after treatments for cancer and sickle cell disease as well as LGBTQI+ families. They also spoke to the continued threats and risks to health care providers, who now face criminal penalties for providing the care they have been trained to provide. And they highlighted the importance of eliminating barriers for families in need of a wide range of high-quality, affordable fertility services.
White House officials reaffirmed the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to fighting to protect access to reproductive health care, including IVF, in the wake of relentless attacks by Republican elected officials following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. They underscored the importance of President Biden's actions to protect access to reproductive health care and urgency around his call for Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade into federal law to ensure that every woman in this country has the freedom to make the decision to have a child, as a matter of basic reproductive freedom.
Participants in yesterday's discussion included representatives from:
- Alliance for Fertility Preservation
- American Cancer Society
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- American Society for Reproductive Medicine
- Family Equality
- Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
- National Center for Lesbian Rights
- RESOLVE: the National Infertility Association
- Sickle Cell Reproductive Health Education Directive
