As many states reduce a person’s reproductive rights, we are glad New York State remains a strong advocate of these rights, because at GENESIS, it feels personal. Many of us have been in our patients’ shoes and have our own fertility story to tell. Some built their family with the help of treatment at GENESIS, while others have undergone fertility preservation, to keep their options open for building a family later in life.

Over a decade of advocacy

Although infertility is a disease of the reproductive system, insurance companies and politicians do not always treat it as the medical disease that it. With our passionate providers at the lead, GENESIS has spent over a decade working tirelessly with multiple advocacy groups to expand care to more patients regardless of their circumstances and challenges. New York now has a fertility insurance law that mandates most commercial insurance plans to cover IVF; and all private insurance plans must cover medically necessary egg freezing. New York has also overturned their previous ban on paid gestational surrogacy. GENESIS Fertility & Reproductive Medicine has received special recognition from RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association for its role in advocating for these new programs. They estimate that these new laws will help millions of New York State residents.

Personhood bills and their effect on reproductive rights

According to RESOLVE:

For almost a decade states around the country (as well as the federal government) have attempted to pass laws declaring that human life, or “personhood,” begins as soon as sperm fertilizes an egg. These so-called personhood bills could make common fertility treatments like IVF illegal.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a well-established, safe, and effective treatment option for infertility with over 140,000 IVF cycles reported each year in the US. Most people could probably name a friend or family member who was finally able to conceive and have a baby through IVF. Imagine if this technology was no longer accessible.

Reproductive rights, including how to build a family should be a decision between the individual, their partner (if any) and their medical provider. Period.

How overturning Roe vs Wade impacts IVF

Since Roe vs Wade was overturned, individual states are now responsible for passing laws restricting access to an abortion. The concern for the infertility community is the possibility that the wording on these new laws could be written to impact embryos created during an IVF cycle. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, embryo personhood would give rights to embryos in lab settings, since they are outside of a woman’s body.

Reproductive rights in a perfect world

In a perfect world, people would be able to access fertility care in their home state without the worry of it being illegal or burdened by excessive regulations. Although we at GENESIS are proud of our advocacy work, we look forward to the day every couple or individual struggling to have a child is able to access high quality fertility care in order to realize their most precious dream.