IVF will be covered by insurance for many Californians after Newsom signs bill

SACRAMENTO —  Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill on Sunday that requires large health insurance companies to cover in vitro fertilization — a win for reproductive health advocates amid nationwide concerns about the future of access to fertility treatments.

The bill also expands healthcare benefits to LGBTQ+ families seeking to have children, changing the definition of infertility for insurance purposes to include “a person’s inability to reproduce either as an individual or with their partner without medical intervention.” 

“California is a proud reproductive freedom state — and that includes increasing access to fertility services that help those who want to start a family,” Newsom said in a statement released Sunday. “As Republicans across the country continue to claw back rights and block access to IVF — all while calling themselves ‘the party of families’ — we are proud to help every Californian make their own choices about the family they want.”

The new California law comes as conservative groups have increasingly opposed IVF over ethical and religious concerns about the use of embryos — and when life really begins. 

While Donald Trump...