Senate and House Democrats are trying again to expand fertility treatments for active-duty personnel and veterans whose military-related disabilities render them unable to conceive without help.
Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rick Larsen, both Democrats from Washington state, along with Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., plan to introduce bills in their chambers Thursday that would cover in vitro fertilization, cryopreservation of eggs and sperm, and other health treatments for military family and veteran beneficiaries.
The Veteran Families Health Services Act would let service members freeze their gametes before deployment to a hazardous assignment and after injury or illness; would expand eligibility for assisted reproductive technology treatments to include military and veterans spouses, partners and surrogates; and expand adoption assistance at the Department of Veterans Affairs, among other things.
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The announcement marks the second time the trio has introduced the legislation. In 2021, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee debated the bill during a hearing, but it never made it out of the committee.
Duckworth, a double amputee and mother of two who used in vitro fertilization to become pregnant, said the legislation would help modernize the military and veterans health care systems.
“We must do everything we can to…
