Ohio Senator and GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance missed a Tuesday vote in the Senate to advance a bill that would federally protect access to in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Republicans once again struck down the bill. Democrats have pushed to establish protections for reproductive health procedures following the Supreme Court‘s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, which ended the constitutional right to an abortion. Tuesday’s bill would have protected access to IVF and required that insurance companies cover the procedure and other fertility treatments.
Senators voted 51-44, meaning that the measure failed to meet the 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster. Two Republicans, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and Maine Senator Susan Collins, joined Democrats in supporting the bill. In June, Republicans also blocked the measure from advancing.
Vance appears to have been at a campaign rally in Sparta, Michigan, on Tuesday instead of attending the vote.
Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images
In addition to Vance, four other senators did not vote on Tuesday: Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey; Joe Manchin, an independent from West Virginia; Mike Rounds, a Republican from South Dakota; and Thomas Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina.
Former President Donald Trump has said that he supports IVF protections and has pledged to make the procedure free for all Americans if reelected this November. Newsweek reached out via email to the Trump campaign for further comment.
Some Republican lawmakers called the bill struck down on Tuesday a political stunt, including Utah Senator Mitt Romney, who told Politico that the measure is “a messaging opportunity” that has unspecified “poison pills that Republicans find unacceptable.”
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.