Lankford objects to bill supporting IVF for veterans, members of military

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. has opposed an in vitro fertilization access bill for veterans saying that while he supports IVF, he doesn't support the bill's vague language and undefined cost.

This comes after the Department of Veterans Affairs earlier this week announced it would soon expand its IVF care policy to include eligible veterans who are single or in same-sex marriages.

Lankford said Tuesday that a bill introduced by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., that works to improve the reproductive assistance offered under the Department of Defense and VA health care for veterans lacks a definitive cost.

The bill would permanently authorize fertility treatment to more veterans and ensure that spouses, "partners," and gestational surrogates are included in the eligibility rules -- a change Lankford said the DOD has never allowed. It would also give service members the option to cryofreeze their eggs or sperm before deployment into a combat zone.

"So all of these issues, I look at and say this has not been fully vetted through what this actually is, and what it actually does, nor the cost of it," Lankford said on the Senate floor.

Lankford also said the bill, the Veteran Families Health Services Act of 2023, had too many broad definitions that needed further inspection from legislative committees.

"It includes things like assisted reproductive technology, fertility treatments," Lankford said. "It leaves the door open for future definitions for gene editing or for cloning and leaves us to the discretion of the secretary, whoever the secretary may be in the future."

Murray said that she has worked on this bill for over a decade and "it is more than ready for prime time."

The legislation would also expand adoption assistance for veterans and require the VA and DOD to conduct in-depth research about infertility in the line of duty.

Murray said in a statement Monday that the VA's expansion of fertility options was "timely as IVF is under attack from the far right." She doubled down on her notion following Lankford's objection.

"...It's pretty clear Republicans do not support IVF despite their language -- not even for wounded service members and for veterans," Murray said.

Lankford said that he does support IVF and doesn't find "Republicans that are just broadly opposed" to the procedure.

Murray said she will continue to push for veterans' health care and IVF access.

"I will not stop working on this -- it's the right thing to do," she said.

IVF access has come under scrutiny following the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that said embryos are "children."

The ruling has led many Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, to weigh on the ruling and share their thoughts on IVF.

Earlier this week, Murray, who has worked to ensure more inclusive reproductive assistance for veterans, applauded the VA for its move to provide IVF care to more veterans. The VA's Monday announcement came after lawsuits filed against the Department of Defense and VA in New York and Boston last year argued that some VA policies, including IVF care, were exclusionary to LGBTQ+ members of the military.

VA Secretary Denis McDonough said in a statement that the expansion of care has long been a priority for the VA. He added that "raising a family is a wonderful thing."

"I'm proud that VA will soon help more Veterans have that opportunity," McDonough said in the statement.

Under current policy, VA health care covers up to $2,000 in adoption expenses, but does not cover surrogacy for veterans who have a service-connected disability that caused infertility.

McDonough said they are "working urgently" to implement these new policies as soon as possible.

"VA is taking immediate steps to implement this policy and expects to be ready to deliver this care to Veterans nationwide in the coming weeks," the VA said in its statement.