House Republican drafts bill to expand access to in vitro fertilization

FIRST ON FOX: A House Republican lawmaker is working on a bill to expand access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) for families who cannot afford the procedure.

Rep. Mike Carey, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital and Fox News Radio that he is working on a bill to lower costs associated with IVF.

"It would give a tax incentive to help people that are less fortunate be able to do IVF, and I do think it's something that's important. Because I do think people that want children should be able to have the opportunity to have children, and IVF is [a] way to do it," Carey said on Thursday.

ALABAMA HOUSE, SENATE PASS PROTECTIONS FOR IVF AFTER COURT RULING

Rep. Mike Carey, R-Ohio, is mounting an effort to expand IVF access to middle and low-income families (Getty Images)

His bill would specifically target low- and middle-income families trying to have a child.

It’s a meaningful step from the GOP, which has so far struggled to coalesce around a broad message on the issue in the wake of an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that triggered three clinics in the state to cease IVF services. Two have said they’ll restart after the Alabama state legislature passed a law protecting access.

Democrats have used the ruling as a political cudgel against the right, claiming that Republicans would crack down on IVF access and reproductive health measures nationwide – an attack that those on the right have denied.

ALABAMA PROVIDERS SUSPEND IVF TREATMENTS AFTER STATE COURT’S RULING AS FERTILITY EXPERTS WEIGH IN

A container with frozen embryos and sperm stored in liquid nitrogen is removed at a fertility clinic in Fort Myers, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

The Alabama ruling prompted a wave of national Republicans to come out in support of IVF, while some conservatives said it’s an issue best left to individual states.

Carey’s bill, which he said is in the "drafting stages," is not the first piece of legislation that congressional Republicans have put forward since the court decision. 

However, it’s likely the most consequential so far – previous proposals have mostly included resolutions in support of IVF but with no real guardrails on access. 

Just one cycle of IVF treatment could cost between $15,000 and $30,000, depending on the clinic and a person’s medical history.

FOLLOWING IVF RULING, BIDEN TO SEND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY TO VISIT ALABAMA

The Alabama legislature passed an IVF-protection bill after the state Supreme Court's ruling. (Elijah Nouvelage for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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"I'm looking at trying to expand IVF for folks that are on the lower-income scale, because I think anybody that wants to have a child should be able to have a child, and for whatever reason, they may not be able to," Carey said. "We're working hard to try to get something through."

He urged his fellow Republicans to "embrace" IVF access.

"IVF is pro-family," Carey said. "Growing the family, being pro-child, I think it's something that we as Republicans need to embrace."