As abortion providers, we have known for a long time that personhood laws meant to restrict our healthcare services would eventually be weaponized against fertility care like in vitro fertilization or IVF. What we’ve seen over decades of legislative attacks and attempts at personhood laws is the chipping away of reproductive freedom by invasion of privacy, dismissal of science, disparagement of healthcare providers, and now political interference in how we choose to build our families. I'm writing this today not only as an OB/GYN and a comprehensive reproductive healthcare provider, but as a fertility patient.
From my years of experience as an obstetrician-gynecologist providing both obstetric and abortion care – I KNOW that patients are fully capable of making their own decisions without the input of politicians trying to project their personal beliefs or protect them from false harms. The decision to become or not become a parent is a very personal and serious consideration that I see patients contemplate every single day. By the time a patient has shown up for their first IVF consultation, they have already navigated a sometimes difficult and painful journey. IVF is a fountain of hope - rooted in decades of science - for LGBTQ+ couples, for single people choosing to start families on their own, and for those struggling with infertility.
What we saw play out in the aftermath of this decision was utterly devastating for so many trying to achieve their dream of building or expanding their families. When this decision was announced, IVF programs in Alabama were sent into a tailspin and eventually suspended due to fear of prosecution. At the time of the announcement, I was 4 days away from undergoing a second procedure for fertility preservation. Personally understanding the financial, physical, and emotional investment of countless doctor's visits, invasive ultrasounds and procedures, near daily blood work, and the anxiety of waiting by the phone for the next day’s instructions, I could not even begin to imagine the distress and anger these patients must have felt when receiving the phone call that their cycles and procedures would be cancelled indefinitely.
The chaos and confusion are what I find particularly cruel about the decisions coming from these politically motivated, ill-informed conservative courts – they are intentional and, as healthcare providers, we see how harmful they are. We saw the chaos and confusion as states began to implement abortion bans and now we see it expanding to IVF. The harrowing stories of patients barely getting by, gathering every little resource just to get to care in an access state like New York are endless and heartbreaking. The stories of those unable to get care in a safe access state are even worse. If some politicians have their way, these types of laws will extend across the country and to other types of reproductive healthcare like contraception - harming the most vulnerable while ignoring the beliefs of the vast majority of Americans who support access to all types of reproductive healthcare.
We are moving toward a dangerous space where pregnancy is being criminalized at every possible point – when trying to build our families, when deciding that pregnancy or parenting is not in our best interest, or when trying to prevent pregnancy in the first place. When pregnancy is criminalized – be it by an abortion, fertility, or contraceptive ban – we are putting Black, indigenous, Latine, queer, and lower income people in harm’s way. On behalf of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York and all the patients we serve, I want to say thank you to Senator Gillibrand and State Senator Hoylman-Sigal for being champions of reproductive healthcare and ensuring that New York remains a safe access state for all.
When we say BANS OFF OUR BODIES – we mean ALL reproductive healthcare bans. From IVF to abortion to gender-affirming care, we know that our patients know how to achieve their own reproductive freedoms and goals far better than any politician or court. Thank you.
Tags: IVF