Mr. Terry Sewell (AL-07) of the United States yesterday joined House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar and Vice Chairman Ted Lieu on the Alabama Supreme Court's decision to jeopardize access to infertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization. Attended a press conference regarding the verdict.Congressman Sewell called on Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans to sponsor the bill. federal law This mirrors a ruling in Alabama that effectively bans IVF treatment nationwide.

Congresswoman Sewell: “I am the 7th Congressman Sewell from Alabama. Congressional District. As the only Democrat in Alabama's Congressional delegation and the only woman in Alabama's House delegation, I am outraged by the recent ruling that effectively bans IVF treatment for women who are simply trying to have a child. join in the statement.

This decision is alarming and unacceptable, and its chilling effects are already visible, with clinics ceasing fertility treatment for fear of prosecution. On Tuesday, my office hosted a roundtable discussion in Birmingham, Alabama with Health Secretary Xavier Becerra to hear directly from women in Alabama about how they are being affected. Many of them have been desperately trying to have children for years, and some have devoted their life savings to infertility treatments only to have their hopes and dreams taken away by Republican justices on the Alabama Supreme Court.

IVF patients already face huge emotional, physical and financial challenges, and this decision will only increase their fear and anxiety. Let's be clear: Women in Alabama and across the country deserve access to a full range of reproductive health services, including those who want to start a family but find it difficult to do so. included.

Frankly, I can't actually imagine us fighting this battle in 2024. Yes, reproductive freedom was a battle won by my mother's generation, but MAGA extremists are working to erode our hard-fought rights and freedoms and roll back our progress. Everywhere you look, old battles are becoming new again. Don't get me wrong, while some of our colleagues across the aisle are trying to undo the role that Republican officials played in creating this nightmare, they still own it. It means that there is. More than 60 House Republicans, including Johnson himself, are currently co-sponsoring legislation that would ban IVF nationwide.

We cannot stand by while politicians seek to strip women of their reproductive rights. Nor can we accept a world in which today a woman enjoys fewer rights and freedoms than her mother or grandmother. House Democrats are working hard every day to restore protections. Roe vs. Wade It is incorporated into federal law and protects the reproductive freedom of all women everywhere.

With that said, I want to thank my colleagues for allowing me to go on the record about this alarming decision by the Alabama Supreme Court and how it is really owned by MAGA extremists and House Republicans. ”

You can watch the full press conference and video of the Q&A session. here.