From the NYTimes:
Senate Republican Blocks Bill to Protect I.V.F. Treatment
A Republican senator on Wednesday blocked quick passage of a bill that would establish federal protections for in vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments in the wake of a ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos should be considered children.
Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, Republican of Mississippi, objected to approval of the measure, which would establish a federal right protecting access to I.V.F. and fertility treatments, scuttling its chances for now.
Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois, sought to pass the bill on Wednesday under a procedure that allows any one senator to object and stop it in its tracks, effectively daring Republicans to oppose it and highlighting divisions within the G.O.P. on how to handle the issue.
“It’s really clear who’s standing up for women and trust women to make decisions about their own bodies and about their own health care — it’s Democrats,” said Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois, “So my reminder to voters is remember who’s watching out for your reproductive rights. It’s certainly not Republicans.”