State Sen. Jeff Smith

Raising children is expensive, and solving infertility can be a fortune. Couples trying to conceive experience the joy of a positive pregnancy test and the horrendous heartbreak of miscarriage. Before long, they turn to medical professionals for help. 

Each person may try a lot of different things like changing diet, taking supplements, working on their timing, or they may get to the point when the conversation about IVF (in vitro fertilization) comes up as a potential solution. 

What usually starts as a conversation with a doctor can quickly turn into a discussion with a financial planner. The price tag for each IVF treatment is close to $15,000 with no guarantees. I’ve heard about families who have gone through this procedure two or three times before having success. For most though, just the opportunity to try IVF costs too much to consider. 

Couples shouldn’t have to take out a loan or a second mortgage to have a child. Families that have the resources to care for their children are good for our society. As with most questions about what is good for society, so goes the conversation in politics. 

Unfortunately, political hurdles are happening for IVF. Following the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the Roe v Wade decision in 2022, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled back in February that frozen embryos can be considered “unborn children.” Often excess frozen embryos are disposed of after a couple’s treatment is completed. Clinics around the country are starting to fear a future where they could be accused of murder. The combination of these two court decisions have caused many fertility clinics in Alabama to stop providing IVF altogether. 

What should be a conversation between partners earnestly finding a solution has turned into a liability for them due to politics. Couples desperate for starting a family may have no other option than intensive fertility treatments such as IVF, and now that option is being threatened by reckless court decisions that are out of touch with the reality of thousands of Americans who are trying to start a family.

Republicans have stressed that they support IVF treatment, but then fail to have the courage to introduce legislation to protect it. If politicians are asked about IVF from either party, the vast majority will express support for the procedure. So what stops lawmakers from solving this important issue?

Once again the answer is politics. Democrats in Wisconsin and in Washington have introduced legislation to help families with the cost of IVF treatments, but Republicans ignored all attempts. In the meantime, couples are left with heartbreak when science has provided a clear path to resolution.

This is one time when Republicans must be willing to work with Democrats. It will take bipartisan agreement to put politics aside and do right for families. It’s an election year though and lines are being drawn. At a recent parade, I was walking with other Democrats and it was disheartening to see a Republican voter who wouldn’t let his child take candy from a woman offering it because she was walking with Democrats. “Not from you,” he said.

It doesn’t matter which political party you are a part of. Our kids deserve the best from us. It starts with politicians and it ends with people. As the election draws closer, there’s no doubt rancorous partisanship will reach a fever pitch, but when it comes to the hope of a new family, we must set differences aside and work together.

Sen. Smith represents District 31 in the Wisconsin State Senate. The 31st Senate District includes all of Buffalo, Pepin and Trempealeau counties and portions of Pierce, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson and St. Croix counties.