Tennessee Senate passes bill to protect access to IVF

The Fertility Treatment and Contraceptive Protection Act passed unanimously in the Tennessee Senate and aims to protect access to IVF in the state. 

The bill (SB0449/HB0533) was filed by Republicans Senator Becky Massey and Representative Iris Rudder received support from both Republican and Democrat senators. The bill aims to protect access to IVF and contraception in the state and clarify that access is not prohibited under existing state laws on abortion. A similar bill was rejected last year.

'I am very pleased by the unanimous passage of SB0449,' Senator Massey told WVLT News. 'I would like to emphasise that this bill does not mandate coverage or create an entitlement for fertility treatment or contraceptives.'

Following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade in 2022, Tennessee introduced a restrictive abortion ban. This prompted concerns that access to IVF in the state could be restricted if legal protections were interpreted as extending to embryos, as in Alabama (see BioNews 1228). Since then, both parties have attempted to introduce bills to clarify the law on IVF...