A Republican senator has blocked a bill to safeguard in vitro fertilization access because of fears of human cloning and the creation of “chimeras.”
The Context
“It would legalize the creation of human-animal chimeras,” Hyde-Smith said of the bill on the Senate floor on February 28. Sen. Tammy Duckworth had sought to implement the bill to protect access to IVF across the U.S.
Hyde-Smith, from Mississippi, also said on the Senate floor that the bill was a “vast overreach.”
A stock photo shows part of the in vitro fertilization process. Alabama’s largest hospital system paused IVF treatments after a court said frozen embryos were the legal equivalent of children.
iStock
What We Know
The bill was brought forward under unanimous consent, which gives any senator the power to to block it.
Hyde-Smith specifically argued that the bill did not provide limits on issues such as cloning but said she supports “the ability for mothers and fathers to have total access to IVF and bringing new life into the world.”
She added: “I also believe human life should be protected. These are not mutually exclusive.”
The bill comes after the all-Republican affiliated Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos have the same legal rights as children.
“Unborn children are children,” justices said in a ruling on February 16.
Clinics in the state paused IVF treatments over fears discarded embryos could lead to companies being held liable for wrongful death.
Republicans in the Senate have said the issue should be left up to states to decide, instead of at the federal level.
“It’s a little personal to me when a majority-male court suggests that people like me who are not able to have kids without the help of modern medicine should be in jail cells and not taking care of their babies in nurseries,” Duckworth said at a news conference on February 27.
The Illinois Democrat’s two children were conceived through IVF.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
