Rep. Sara Jacobs Urges House Republicans to Withdraw Support from Fetal Personhood Legislation
Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) spoke on the House Floor, urging 184 House Republicans to remove their cosponsorship of legislation that pushes the “fetal personhood” ideology, which threatens access to IVF, abortion, and contraception.
Watch Rep. Sara Jacobs’ Floor Speech Here
Rep. Sara Jacobs said:
“Three years ago, during my first year in Congress, I froze my eggs – which means I went through the first initial stages of IVF except that after egg retrieval, my eggs were frozen and stored. For weeks, I took hormone pills, gave myself injections, and went to the doctor for checkups. Then, I had a procedure under twilight sedation to harvest my eggs. Many people use IVF if they’re single, LGBTQ+, older, experiencing fertility issues, or have suffered multiple miscarriages. But no matter the reason, IVF should be a valid and viable choice for anyone.
“But unfortunately, IVF – like many other reproductive health care options – is under attack in the courts and here in the halls of Congress. 184 of my Republican colleagues have cosponsored legislation that supports ‘fetal personhood’– giving embryos the same full legal rights as a person. This fringe ideology is dangerous and could be used to prosecute people for miscarriages or for having an abortion, and could potentially affect access to birth control too.
“And it could threaten access to IVF. During IVF, doctors often create more fertilized embryos than they plan on using – because some may be genetically unviable or result in miscarriages. I have 17 mature eggs frozen. Patients like me pay for the storage of their eggs and embryos and eventually, some embryos are usually donated for medical research or destroyed.
“But fetal personhood legislation – and even court rulings like the one in Alabama – could force patients to pay for storage of their embryos forever or leave clinics liable to criminal charges if embryos are damaged. That’s why at least one IVF clinic in Alabama is ending the service – and this is just the beginning. Last week, Supreme Court Justice Alito acknowledged fetal personhood in his line of questioning in Moyle v. United States – a case that could decide the future of emergency abortion care.
“To my Republican colleagues: You can’t support “fetal personhood” and support IVF access. You can’t falsely claim to be “pro-life” and then rip away peoples’ dreams of having children. And you can’t hide and try to bury your true end goal.
“So I call on all 184 House Republicans – including Speaker Johnson – who have cosponsored legislation that would treat embryos as children and threaten access to IVF and other reproductive health services: come to the House Floor and publicly remove your name from these bills. Prove that you supposedly support IVF access. Prove that you support families. Prove that you’re not a hypocrite.”
###